Whats the reason for the difference in the career paths of white executives and minority executives?
We think it takes longer for people to become comfortable with the performance of minorities. A fair amount of social-science research shows that minorities are much more likely to have their successes attributed to external factors, such as luck or a good manager, than to internal factors: “This person is naturally talented, motivated, smart.” Same stellar performance. Two years into the job. White? You get labeled as someone with natural talent and leadership ability. A person of color? You get labeled as “someone to watch.” Q: So minorities have to prove themselves in a way that whites don’t? A: Right. I think the best way that you can say it is: Minorities have to be stellar longer to get the same pay-out. It’s not to say that the white executives that we looked at weren’t also stellar in their early careers, when they got labeled as fast-trackers. But that same evidence [of outstanding performance] for minorities didn’t get translated into their being put on this fast track. Q: Ho
