Asian-American employees are more likely than white employees to value being highly compensated, to place importance on having a powerful position and to ask for stretch assignments, pay raises and promotions, but most don’t rise higher than middle management in America’s corporations, according to a report from the Center for Talent Innovation.
The report, “Asians in America: Unleashing the Potential of the ‘Model Minority,” found that what keeps most Asian Americans from making it to the top are subtle workplace biases fueled by the stereotype that Asians are passive and lack the necessary social skills and assertiveness to move up the corporate ladder.
Companies are at high risk of losing Asian talent because too many Asian Americans feel stuck in their positions. Barbara Adachi, national managing principal of the Initiative for the Retention and Advancement of Women at Deloitte, No. 8 in The 2011 Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and an Asian American, says, “The Asian community is a very large economic force both inside and outside of the U.S. The more you understand what’s going on globally, and the impact that China and India are having on the world, the more you will recognize the importance of having Asians be part of your organization and leadership team.”
