African-American female executives organizational experiences: managing success, support, and workplace relationship satisfaction

Abstract

Addressing the workplace experiences of African American female executives has taken a backseat to contemporary organizational communication topics. The lived experience of Black females in the workplace is a subject with a scarce amount of supporting literature. The lack of scholarship addressing their workplace experience has left a significant number of questions unanswered and unexamined. This project explored the relationships and workplace experiences that African American female executives experience during organizational advancement. Through an examination of the lived experiences of African American women executives this study sheds light on (a) the communicative experiences of successful African American women executives in workplace organizations with dominant- culture members, (b) the various modes of organizational support that aids in their workplace success, and (c) the effects that mentoring relationship have on organizational advancement for African American women. Through face-to-face interviews with seven Black female executives in American based organizations, this research highlights the untold stories about a unique group of women leaders. The findings in this study reveal that Black female executives have workplace communicative experiences similar to other traditionally muted groups, rely on social support from friends and family to help them progress through organizations, and use mentoring relationships as a key tool to advance through organizations.