FAQ 73 - Glass Ceiling

ELEVEN PRACTICES OF CORPORATE AMERICA THAT STIFLE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN
AND PEOPLE OF COLOR

>From the 1995 "U.S. Glass Ceiling Commission Report" -- Robert Reich,
Secretary of Labor

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1. Initial Placement and Clustering in relatively dead-end staff
jobs, or in highly technical professional jobs. (These positions are
off the "fast track" to upper level management, and are frequently
unrelated to the "core business" of the employer. Ma ny of them are in
support areas, such as personnel and affirmative action).

2. Lack of mentoring (one path to success is for highly placed
individuals "in the know" to give advice and counsel to newcomers,
teaching them the organization's "unwritten rules." This happens less
frequently for women and people of color than for whit e males).

3. Lack of management training (training in how to perform one's
current job is readily available for women and people of color.
However, training that leads to higher level positions is not as
available as it is for white males).

4. Lack of opportunities for career development (this includes
forms of training and work assignments that are related to the
organization's "core business").

5. Lack of opportunities for training tailored to the individual
(not everyone learns in the same way. Cultural factors and individual
differences can make training opportunities more difficult for those
with a different learning style).

6. Lack of rotation to line positions or job assignments that are
revenue producing (experience in these "bread and butter" positions
leads to opportunities to show off one's talents and skills, leading to
additional upward mobility).

7. Little or no access to critical developmental assignments,
including service on highly visible task forces and committees (more
opportunities to "show off," and also to get noticed by the company
"movers and shakers." This interaction with the "big wh eels" is
called "face time.").

8. Different standards for performance evaluation (because of
stereotypes related to the competence and ability of women and people
of color, these individuals repeatedly have to put forth more
spectacular performances than their white male counterparts i n order
to "prove themselves").

9. Biased rating and testing systems (often the criteria for
rating are not related to actual job performance, but to intangible
qualities usually displayed more often by white males).

10. Little or no access to informal networks of communication
(inside information, meeting notices, or impromptu policy discussions
are not available to those not "in the loop." If such meetings are
held during hunting trips, golf games, at the country c lub, and during
other pursuits not usually undertaken by women and people of color, it
can give white males a commanding advantage).

11. Harassment and other counterproductive behavior from colleagues
(this behavior interferes with concentration and attitude. It also can
lead to spending inordinate amounts of time documenting one's
activities to prove you are doing your job. Even whe re the Chief
Executive Officer is committed to recruiting and selecting diverse
workers, white male colleagues can feel threatened enough by
competition to engage in harassing behavior. The employer is legally
responsible to protect employees from this behavior).