| The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of what it is like to be a financial consultant (FC) and a person of color or Hispanic at ABC Financial Firm (fictional name). The percentage of people of color and Hispanic FCs at ABC Financial Firm does not reflect the racial/ethnic makeup of the population of the U.S. or the communities in which the company is located. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 25% of the U.S. population defined themselves as people of color or Hispanic, yet these groups represent only 3% of the FCs at ABC Financial Firm.; The research methodology used was hermeneutic phenomenology. I conducted interviews with eleven people of color and Hispanic financial consultants (though one later dropped out of the study). These interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. The transcripts were audited and corrected by me and then the appropriate transcript was sent to each participant for verification that they accurately portrayed our conversation. I then spent nearly a year working with the texts, using van Manen's (1990) holistic and highlighting approaches to conduct a thematic analysis. Once I had identified the themes, I used imaginative variation to determine the essential themes. The themes were grouped into six main categories: (1) Branch manager support, (2) Emerging markets, (3) The nature of the financial consultant job, (4) Recruiting, hiring, and promoting, (5) Interpersonal relationships with colleagues, (6) Impressions of and interactions with the corporate office.; I sent these themes to the remaining ten participants for verification. After they were verified, I conducted a post-analysis literature review on major topics related to the themes: impact of managers on employees, diversity paradigms, emerging markets, the business case for diversity, standardized assessments, mentoring, stereotyping, and status. This literature review also included discussion relating to the themes.; A phenomenological study does not arrive at a conclusion that can be generalized across time, places, or people. The insights provided by this research may help inform individuals, practitioners, researchers, and organizations if they approach them with a spirit of reflection and as part of an on-going quest for meaning. |
