Otaye-Ebede, Lilian 
ORCID: 0000-0001-5158-290X and Shaffakat, Samah ORCID: 0000-0001-6092-7543
(2024)
Breaking the Concrete Ceiling: Resources and Strategies For Career Success amongst Black and Asian Minority Ethnic Women Leaders
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 97 (4).
pp. 1243-1281.
ISSN 0963-1798, 2044-8325
Abstract
Despite ongoing research efforts to resolve the pertinent issues with the underrepresentation of women from Black and Asian Minority Ethnic backgrounds in senior leadership positions, the problem persists. We suggest that one reason for the lack of progress is that management research has predominantly focused on the manifestation of race and gender inequality, the barriers experienced by these women, and the resulting adverse outcomes, with inadequate attention given to practical interventions for resolving these issues. We argue that an urgent and critical paradigm shift from problems to solutions is required in order to advance the field. Using the conservation of resource theory as a lens, we explore the lived experiences of 50 highly successful Black and Asian women and how they navigated the organizational labyrinth to achieve success in their careers. Our findings revealed that despite discriminatory experiences that threatened their career advancement, there were several personal and contextual resources which they drew upon to achieve career success. We develop a resource taxonomy framework illustrating these salient career advancement resources across their career journey, alongside strategies they used to protect these valuable resources. Our findings have theoretical and practical implications for career, leadership and diversity scholars and practitioners.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Black and Asian women, career stages, careers, conservation of resource theory, intersectionality, leadership |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of Management |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Jun 2024 08:44 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Feb 2026 15:47 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/joop.12520 |
| Open Access URL: | https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.... |
| Related Websites: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3182155 |
| Disclaimer: | The University of Liverpool is not responsible for content contained on other websites from links within repository metadata. Please contact us if you notice anything that appears incorrect or inappropriate. |
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