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Asian Americans are the most educated segment of the American workforce. They are also the least likely racial group to be promoted to leadership roles.
This should make for very uncomfortable reading for any employer or HR professional. The bias – conscious and unconscious – that is stunting career growth for this demographic is not only prevalent across corporate America but also poorly understood.
Despite the fact investment in DEI continues to increase, and many employers have covered significant ground in their bid to reduce bias and embed equitable decision-making including within promotion cycles, the conversation about Asian American underrepresentation has been quiet. Too quiet. For too long.
Among those leading the conversation and speaking into the relative silence are Joy Chen, CEO of the Multicultural Leadership Institute, and Angela Cheng-Cimini, Chief Human Resources Officer for Harvard Business Publishing.
Chen and Cheng-Cimini speak to HR Grapevine to help unravel how Asian representation has continued to be so low at the leadership level, what role HR professionals can play in addressing underrepresentation, and why this correction will benefit all.
What reasons explain why Asian representation at the leadership level is so low?
Asian Americans experience many cultural barriers that can stunt their careers and deny them access to management or leadership roles in which they would thrive.
Chen argues a major barrier is stereotyping. Asian Americans have been stereotyped as excellent workers but poor leaders, particularly in comparison with Western ideals of leadership including assertiveness, dominance, and charisma.
“This "role incongruence" hinders their career advancement and reduces the likelihood of being recognized as potential leaders,” she explains, adding that other cultural gaps widen this issue, offering the example of communication.
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“A common misconception is that Asians excel technically but lack communication skills,” Chen explains. “Given that Asians in America come from societies comprising over half of the world’s population, this view is narrow and reveals a critical gap in cultural understanding. Asian communication styles are different, often more nuanced, and respectful compared to the direct approaches favored in Western contexts.”
Cheng-Cimini similarly identifies the stereotyping of Asian Americans as submissive, technology-oriented, risk-averse, and underqualified as a dangerous, systemic bias that leads to poor representation.
She also notes the knock-on effect this has on the confidence of Asian Americans. “The other side of the coin is our own reluctance occasionally to be more outspoken, practice strategic self-promotion and claim credit for our own good work,” she observes.
This vicious cycle has made it historically difficult for Asian Americans to break through into leadership roles, embedding bias into decision-making processes relating to promotions.
How HR teams can improve Asian American representation in their management & leadership
The first caveat is that addressing the low representation of Asian Americans within leadership is that it is not an overnight fix. The biases and stereotypes highlighted above have been embedded across generations of Asian Americans attempting to navigate corporate America.
However, even if the progress is slow, and takes time, it must begin immediately.
“HR's first obvious impact is in Talent Acquisition,” Cheng-Cimini advises. “This should be done not in pursuit of a quota but as a way to encourage innovative sourcing solutions to find the best AAPI [Asian American Pacific Islander] talent.”
Beyond hiring Asian talent, employers must also create an equitable environment in which current Asian American employees and future candidates have the support and cultural support to thrive—in which there is a level playing field for all demographic groups.
This requires a close relationship between HR teams driving this initiative and those in managerial or leadership roles. “The second step is to work with managers to ensure their AAPI employees receive coaching and mentoring to gain visibility in the organization and exposure to impactful work,” Cheng-Cimini adds.
There are many steps HR teams can take to support their leadership. “Effective training empowers leaders to adapt their behaviors to lead effectively across cultures,” Proposes Chen. “For example, at a global technology company, my team facilitates interactive sessions where leaders and Asian employees practice adapting their behaviors while remaining true to their core values.”
Chen adds that employers must also promote and integrate qualified Asian employees into organizational leadership. “Implement unbiased career progression frameworks and transparent, merit-based promotion criteria, ensuring Asian employees are integrated within informal networks to support their growth,” she recommends, alongside offering tailored development programs for Asian employees and shifting from a “culture fit” to a “culture add” where differences are seen as opportunities for success.
This, says Chen, may thereby help employers leverage the skills of Asian American employees to drive domestic and global business growth, with rewards in tow for those workers.
Why must employers act to fix Asian underrepresentation in leadership roles?
There is a very obvious moral imperative for employers to weed out and consciously address bias, whatever form it takes, and whoever it disadvantages—and in this case, Asian Americans are undoubtedly suffering because of it.
Moreover, increasing the representation of Asian Americans in management and leadership roles will also deliver benefits to the organization. As the fastest-growing racial group of the workforce, creating a more equitable (and therefore rewarding) experience for Asian employees can deliver major gains in skilled talent, engagement, and productivity.
It also creates more well-rounded leadership teams that make better and more representative decisions. “Leveraging the diverse talents of their Asian workforce can result in more collaborative cultures that promote women, introverts, and all others who bring diverse norms and perspectives, and thus transform companies into more global, agile, and powerful hubs of innovation and growth,” Chen asserts.
Her rationale is echoed by Cheng-Cimini who highlights the measurable gains of “organizational leadership strength, diversity of thought and experience, and of course, health to the bottom-line.”
The conversation about Asian representation has been too quiet, and for too long. It’s time HR and leadership teams got to work.
