Previous sections identified the current status of African American managers in the workplace and the barriers to their advancement. This last section offers recommendations for policies to deal with the barriers. The alleviation of formal barriers to the entry of African Americans into the workplace has not by itself assured their advancement into higher level positions in organizations. My review indicates that barriers to progression are more subtle and deeply entrenched. The prognosis for the advancement of African Americans is also dampened by the resurgence of resistance from Whites who feel African Americans are receiving too much preferential treatment. Additionally, continued pressures on organizations to downsize their operations are negatively affecting the advancement of African Americans. Consequently, multilevel strategies are needed to dismantle the barriers. The policies proposed in this section are recommendations proposed by the Glass Ceiling Commission, the Affirmative Action Review, and the NAACP. In addition I've also included elements of my own opinion based on my research. The recommendations are categorized at two levels of intervention: governmental and organizational.
Governmental
The governmental policies prescribed include both actions to be taken under the jurisdiction of the commission and actions that President Clinton needs to take to address the broader societal context.
(1) The commission should avoid using a perspective that defines glass ceiling issues in terms of "women and minorities." This categorization creates several problems. It renders women of color invisible because they are both women and minorities. It also implies that the glass ceiling is the same for White women and African American women and African American men. It creates the illusion that all groups have made similar progress in gaining access to managerial jobs. Clearly, the information presents a different scenario for African Americans. The specific needs of each group (i. e., White women, African American women, African American men, etc...) must be considered when developing strategies and policies. In the case of African Americans, this consideration will lead to a better understanding of the racism African American men encounter and the combined effects of racism and sexism experienced by African American women.
(2) Instead of having companies report only summary statistics of the number of employees in broad job categories (e.g. semi-skilled, management, professional, technical, etc.), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should require the information in EEO-1 Reports by job title, including the position of the job in the management hierarchy. Current methods of data collection make it very difficult to get accurate information on the types of management jobs held by African-American men and women and the place of those jobs in the management hierarchy. Information of this kind would yield better insight into the access African Americans have to jobs on the path to higher level responsibilities. This information is vital. The Affirmative Action Review indicated over-concentration in staff jobs as one of the barriers to the advancement of African Americans.
(3) The Office of Federal Contract Compliance should continue monitoring recruitment and selection practices of companies and their effectiveness in achieving EEO and Affirmative Action goals. Recruitment and selection practices are essential to building up a critical mass of minorities within corporations.
(4) Closely monitor promotion and succession planning processes that companies use when making decisions about who will advance. Promotion, succession planning, and performance appraisal systems rely heavily upon the subjective judgment of managers. It is within these processes that African Americans often experience discrimination and prejudice. Governmental compliance reviews should include: (a) how companies conduct performance appraisals and the outcomes for African Americans; (b) how ratings of managerial potential are carried out and their effects on African Americans; (c) the extent and type of training provided to those conducting performance evaluations; (d) the race and gender composition of management committees involved in assessing managers. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance should be responsible for these reviews.
(5) Explicit guidelines on racial harassment in the workplace need to be developed. The guidelines should be modeled after those created for sexual harassment. While guidelines exist for defining racial discrimination under Title VII, racial harassment has received less attention. A violation of Title VII requires proving that a negative employment decision (e.g. not getting hired, lower salary raise, demotion, etc.) resulted from racial discrimination. Racial harassment can involve racial jokes, racial innuendoes, or racial slurs, none of which may involve an employment decision. Nevertheless this harassment can create a hostile, unfriendly work environment for an employee. Long-term harassment can have detrimental effects on the psychological and emotional well-being of people of color. Rarely is there a means within most organizations for relief from such harassment. These guidelines should be developed through a process jointly involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Judiciary Committee, the Civil Rights Department of the Justice Department, and other relevant groups.
(6) Convene Glass Ceiling Commission hearings allowing people of color to testify about their organizational experiences instead relying solely upon presentations from company representatives. These hearings would have to be conducted in a manner that protects the anonymity of participants. Their testimony can provide invaluable insights into the barriers they encounter and possible solutions.
(7) Make on-going funds available for research projects focusing on the understudied areas. It is often difficult for researchers to obtain research funds to examine issues of racism and sexism in organizations. Government funding would help to expedite research activity to address existing gaps in knowledge about the work place experience of people of color. Funding should be made through several sources and agencies including the Department of Labor, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the Department of Justice to name a few.
(8) None of the above actions will be successful unless attention is given to the broader social context. The position of people of color in the work place is inseparable from their position in U.S. society. Organizations do not exist in isolation; they are microcosms of larger society. Racial segregation in our schools, our neighborhoods, our churches, our social networks, and other major institutions outside of work reinforce exclusionary and racist behavior towards African Americans and other minorities in the work place. If real change is to occur in the work place, public policy must be aimed at eradicating all forms of racism and racial segregation. A number of actions are needed. First, the President needs to convene a special Commission to examine the status of people of color, racism, and race relations in the country. Based on their work, President Clinton, Congress, and the Senate must develop a national agenda for recharging the country's energy towards the full inclusion of people of color and the elimination of racism within all major institutions. A comprehensive effort is needed which encompasses policy initiatives for all major systems: housing, education, family, economic, cultural, and health.
Organizational
There are also a number of actions organizations can take to help remove barriers:
(1) The Board of Trustees, top managers including Chief Executive Officers, and other senior executives must demonstrate a commitment to the recruitment and advancement of people of color. This commitment means not only actively recruiting candidates for management positions but ensuring that people of color are thoroughly represented in all positions, including senior levels throughout the organizational hierarchy. Succession plans must specifically target people of color for future job advancement and provide challenging job assignments and the requisite training and mentoring that leads to advancement.
Beyond demonstrating commitment, top managers must model their commitment. All too often, top-level White male executives require White managers at lower levels to work with people of color as peers and colleagues while at the very same time, failing to include people of color among their own management ranks. African American managers are rarely found among the inner circles of executive management groups. Other managers quickly realize this as a case of "It's okay to hire African Americans, as long as it's not next door to my office." Instead of fostering an organization-wide commitment to the advancement of African Americans, their behavior creates resentment, especially among other White males. If top managers actively mentor, coach, develop, and place African American managers within their ranks, they send a powerful message about the organization's commitment.
(2) Avoid a "women and minorities" approach towards issues of advancement. The issues and problems should be identified for each specific group in the organization. Numbers and data on the status of managers should also be monitored by specific race and gender groups. Instead of developing blanket strategies aimed at "women and minorities," initiatives should be designed to address the unique barriers encountered by African American men and African American women.
(3) Asians and Hispanics are artificial terms. These terms attempt to group various ethnically and racially diverse people under a false category. This must stop in order for us to truly recognize the various racial and ethnic groups in our society. In addition our statistics on these groups becomes skewed due to the misleading categories.
(4) Develop and issue policies to prevent racial harassment on the job. These policies should include a clear statement that the company will not tolerate racial harassment, a list of consequences for such behavior, and a non-threatening means for victims to file charges. All employees should receive training on the policies developed.
(5) Strengthen affirmative action initiatives. On-going recruitment and placement of people of color is essential to secure a pool of individuals who can advance within the organizations. Current managing diversity initiatives should not be viewed as substitutes for obligations under affirmative action.
(6) Hold managers accountable for the career development and advancement of African American managers. This accountability and responsibility should be reflected in the evaluation and reward of their performance.
(7) Before implementing downsizing policies evaluate their consequences for African American managers. Downsizing strategies should not supersede and negatively affect affirmative action goals. If reductions are based on performance, the importance of a valid and non-biased performance evaluation system becomes even more critical.
(8) Make sure people of color have access to formal mentoring and development programs. However, in addition, allow opportunities for same-race networking and support groups, including company sanctioned associations.
(9) Establish on-going training and education on race relations for all organizational members. The education should not be just for people of color. Whites need to understand their own behavior in regard to racist actions, whether intentional or unintentional, and their effects on the advancement of people of color.
Affirmative action opponents say that discrimination is at an end. But while it is true that much progress has been made since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act 1964 and other civil rights legislation, it is also true that these laws have not been self-executing - nor did they change centuries of discriminatory habits, customs and attitudes. As a result, many avenues of opportunity have remained narrow and constricted, available only to the relatively few. The evidence clearly proves that today's playing field isn't level.
In regards to the African American, affirmative action is necessary, and when implemented properly, is the most powerful tool this country has to fight discrimination on the basis of race. African Americans are slowly rising to a point where they can have their own businesses or be in the positions of senior management. However, after an analysis of the evidence, there is still a long road that African Americans must travel before they can ever truly be considered on equal footing as White Americans. Until this goal is reached then African Americans remain oppressed by the legacy of the United States' history of racism and oppression. Affirmative action is therefore a just policy, a doorway towards freedom.