A profile of current Japanese-American, Chinese-American, and Korean-American lower, middle, and upper level managers in corporate America

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to establish a profile of Asian-Americans who held positions of lower, middle, and upper management in Corporate America. This was a descriptive study utilizing survey research techniques. Topics examined included promotability of the Asian-American manager (the glass ceiling phenomenon, formal and informal networks, the impact of Hofstedean characteristics on career advancement), demolition of the glass ceiling (suggestions and recommendations), and the establishment and evaluation of a profile of the Asian-American manager as derived from the survey data.; Methodology. This descriptive study utilized a mailed survey research design, mailed out by the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) trade association. All of LEAP's lower, middle, and upper managers were mailed a survey, and 700 surveys were distributed. Seventy surveys were returned to LEAP, for a ten percent response rate.; The original survey instrument utilized consisted of 48 questions, and each question was correlated to 1 of 14 research questions. The validity of the survey instrument was determined by an expert panel consisting of 12 middle and upper managers in Fortune 1000 companies and/or experts in the field of Asian-American studies. The expert panel evaluated the research questions. the survey instrument itself, and the appropriateness of the correlation of research questions to survey items.; Findings and conclusions. The typical Asian-American manager surveyed was a 41 year old Japanese-American male born in the western United States, who had completed a graduate degree and had worked at their company for 11 to 20 years. His parents were high school graduates, with the father being a business owner and the mother being a blue collar worker. The Asian-American manager was a lower level engineering manager in a Fortune 1000 company, and earned an annual income of {dollar}80,001–{dollar}90,000.; The following conclusions emerged from this study: (1) These Asian-American managers studied integrated both American cultural values with Hofstedean traits (i.e., the values of their forefathers). (2) These Asian-American managers were prepared for upper level promotion through their education, experience, and competency skills acquired. (3) These Asian-American managers realized that discrimination exists at their company.