Addressing the 'Model Minority', 'Bamboo Ceiling' problem in leadership

"Wait, I thought you were the tenant?"

"No, I'm the landlord."

"What do you do for work?"

"Uh, I work in tech."

(Looks up and down at me) "You must have done well then, to afford this apartment."

"Thanks." (I show them out the door)

"Where are you from?"

"Well, I'm from the UK but my parents are from Hong Kong."

"Oh you must speak Chinese then."

"Cantonese. Thanks, bye."

This was a conversation I had with a tenant I was interviewing recently, a 51 year old white man working in finance. While the contents of this conversation were not unusual for me, they encapsulate some of the stereotypes, unconscious biases and micro-aggressions I encounter regularly. 

An issue I don't hear discussed enough is the impact of 'Model Minority' stereotypes on the leadership and career progression of East Asians.

As a petite woman of British-Chinese descent who happens to look younger than my age, I am often underestimated. People can sometimes be shocked by my assertiveness and confidence - I unapologetically ask for what I want and think I deserve. In my work in inclusive design and ED&I, it is my job to be a pain in the neck, professionally and persistently challenging the status quo. I'm aware my mere existence in a lead position can be jarring and contradict expectations for some.

The Model Minority myth, prevalent in both the US and the UK, portrays South and East Asians as quiet, hardworking, and academically high-achieving. While seemingly positive, these stereotypes can hinder long-term career progression.

Like the 'Glass ceiling' for women, the ‘Bamboo ceiling’ refers to systemic barriers that prevent East Asians from reaching executive positions due to perceived “lack of leadership potential” and "communication skills."

The model minority myth is harmful to East Asians in the way that it makes them invisible, giving the impression they are doing just fine and do not desire leadership positions. According to Jackson Lu, Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management, the issue is nuanced,

"People not only believe that East Asians are non-assertive, but also believe that East Asians should be non-assertive.” As a result, East Asians are in a double-bind: When they are not assertive, they are less likely to attain leadership, but when they are assertive, they risk being viewed as “too assertive.”

I find the notion of having your leadership prospects limited based on racial or cultural stereotypes utterly bizarre, but it is a sad reality. This is evident by the lack of East Asian leaders and executives in western societies, although there are limited research studies on the Model Minority or Bamboo Ceiling phenomenon. Here are a few ones I found.

A 2018 study by the Ascend Foundation (nonprofit that advocates for Pan-Asians in the workplace) found that:

• White men are 165% more likely to be executives than White women
• Asian men are 112% more likely to be executives than Asian women
• White men are 192% more likely to be executives than Asian men
• White women are 134% more likely to be executives than Asian women

In a 2019 study analysing data from S&P 500 companies between 2010 and 2017, there was an average of 2.82 CEOs per million South Asians in the U.S, compared to 1.92 CEOs per million white people in the U.S., and 0.59 CEOs per million East Asians in the U.S.

In another US study, it suggested East Asians are underrepresented in leadership positions partly due to less assertive communication, which may relate to how East Asian societies value collectivism (harmony and humility) over individualism expected in western leadership (extraversion and assertiveness). 

Furthermore, there is impact of 'home' culture and 'host' culture. In other words, the Bamboo Ceiling is more likely to affect older first generation immigrants strongly influenced by their home culture abroad than if you were born and/or raised in a western society (host culture). This makes it more of a cultural issue, rather than a racial one. 

I personally have a problem with this limited western prototype of leadership as I don't believe these traits are binary or mutually exclusive. After all, we are dynamic as humans and we don't fit in 'one box'. Leaders can be confident, assertive AND ensure harmony and be humble. For example, I still undersell myself unwittingly, but I think humility in leaders is underrated and critically lacking in leadership in general (the opposite is far worse, see: Dunning–Kruger effect). As summarised by researchers Jackson Lu, Richard Lisbett and Michael Morris,

"To leverage diverse leadership talent, organizations should understand the differences among different cultural groups and diversify the prototype of leadership."

In other words, companies should make room for different leadership styles, a diversifying workforce that includes understanding cultural differences among different Asian subgroups instead of lumping them into one group. "For example, an East Asian person’s quiet reserve may reflect a cultural tendency to value humility, not the absence of an opinion to share", Lu said. Western organisations could also benefit from East Asian cultures' focus on maintaining harmony and collectivism.

Some forward-thinking companies like Sainsbury's invest in ethnically diverse talent accelerator programmes and enrol staff in leadership training programmes, which is a good start. Diversity in Retail also offer Ethnic Senior Leaders and Ethnic Future Leaders development programmes.

I believe that as East Asians, we can dismantle this 'ceiling' at work by earning respect, being quietly confident (yes, you do not need to be the loudest voice in the room to be taken seriously), through our credibility, passion and steadfast self-promotion. I'm lucky in that in addition to myself, I have people who are excellent role models and sponsors for me.

These are the intersectional, unique, seldom heard experiences and voices that I want to hear more of. I see few people who look like me in leadership, and when you then add gender and neurodiversity to the mix, the metaphorical 'ceiling' triples - it is even harder, virtually non-existent. Where are my fellow neurodivergent, East Asian women leaders hiding?

This quiet, passive, non-confrontational stereotype of East Asians is also dangerous, making them more susceptible to unreported racism and hate crime. During the Covid-19 pandemic I experienced racism in public spaces that really shocked me. I confided in a manager at the time, who told me I was probably imagining it. As a lead or manager, that was definitely not behaviour I expected. When people tell you they've been a victim of racism (even if it's not workplace related), you believe them and find ways to support them as an ally. I couldn't help but also notice there was little public outcry on the increased hate crime and anti-asian racism reported during the pandemic.

This is a post I originally wrote as part of a longer leadership article, but I realised the importance of the issue deserves its own focus in these times (the recent UK far-right, anti-immigration riots fresh in mind). The work is never done. I am reading "The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table" by Minda Harts, and will hopefully have more thoughts to add on this subject.