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????親愛的安妮：我最近又錯過了一次升職的機會，這已經是五年內第三次了，雖然我一直在全身心地投入工作，我的業績評估也始終優秀。這讓我很沮喪，也許并不奇怪，因為我是亞裔美國人（第三代華人），公司高層里也沒有一個是亞洲人出身。我討厭“打出種族牌”，但是鑒于現在這種形勢，我忍不住懷疑美國職場是不是存在微妙的種族歧視。你怎么看？——隱形男 ????親愛的隱形男：你不是一個人在質疑。非盈利機構工作-生活政策中心（Center for Work-Life Policy）今年7月發布的研究結果表明，大約5%的美國居民認同自己是亞裔，但在財富500強公司中承擔管理層的職位亞裔美國人僅占2%。 ????這種差距顯然不是教育水平低下造成的，因為16%的常青藤院校畢業生是亞裔（為亞裔占總人口比重的3倍以上），而在像麻省理工學院（M.I.T.）和斯坦福大學（Stanford）等頂尖學府，超過三分之一的畢業生（35%）為亞裔。 ????當然，偶爾也會有亞裔走上企業高管的位置，比如雅芳公司（Avon Products）首席執行官鐘彬嫻，還有花旗集團（Citigroup）首席執行官潘偉迪。目前，共有8位財富500強公司的首席執行官是亞裔。 ????部分出于這個原因，工作-生活政策中心（CWLP）調查的亞裔人群中，四分之一的受訪者相信種族歧視讓他們在職場上止步不前。有趣的是，僅有4%受調查的高加索裔人群覺察到對亞裔人群存在偏見的證據。 ????說明什么問題呢？ ????人力資源顧問簡?海云稱，一些亞洲國家的文化提倡埋頭苦干就能得到回報，不必追求大家的認可。“但是僅僅埋頭苦干是遠遠不夠的，”海云稱。海云經營著Hyun & Associates管理輔導公司。她還著有《打破竹子天花板：亞裔人的職業生涯策略》（Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians）一書。“亞洲文化有一種說法叫‘槍打出頭鳥’，”海云指出，“與西方的理念如‘會叫的輪子先上油’等截然相反而且格格不入。” ????新書《選擇權》（The Power of Choice）的作者麥克爾?海特爾也表示贊同。他是位于波士頓的咨詢企業全球約務更替公司（Global Novations）的負責人，他在與美國和亞洲客戶共事的過程中感覺到“確實存在文化不兼容的情況。 ????“美國人從小就教育后代要展現領導潛質，要熱衷交際、外向、直言不諱以及信心十足；而亞洲的理念則教育人努力工作，保持謙卑并且合群。表達個人的觀點，或者倡導變革[在亞洲]通常被認為是失禮的表現。” ????工作-生活政策中心的調查人群中，將近一半（48%）的受訪者表示，亞裔面臨的最大障礙是“全盤接受主流的領導模式。” ????海特爾稱：“認真研究公司里面誰在不斷得到提拔。除了埋頭苦干之外，他們還做了什么。這些都很重要。要了解公司怎么去定義領導才能。” ????他認為，技能水平是最容易識別和衡量的，因此“我們傾向于用這些技能來評估自己的表現。不過，85%的提拔看重的是其他技能，比如說服他人以及構建戰略關系的能力，雖然沒人挑明。” ????當然，你不必憑一己之力來解決這個問題。海特爾是代頓-哈德森（Dayton Hudson，如今更名為塔吉特（Target）,為僅次于沃爾瑪的全美第二大零售巨頭——譯注）公司的前首席執行官。他本身就是非洲裔美國人。海特爾稱他的父母從小就灌輸他類似的理念。“考出好成績、做得比別人出色就能獲得成功，”他回顧道：“后來我發現僅僅這些還不夠。幸運的是，我找到了一位導師，幫助我理解了那些不成文的游戲規則。” ????你或許也需要一位這樣的導師。“這樣的人在機構內部至少比你高兩級，”海特爾稱，“向這些人請教，應該在哪些方面著力。” ????與此同時，海云和海特爾都敦促亞裔擴大社交圈子，通過“抓住機會領導項目影響其他人”來提高自己的能見度。海特爾說，“這么做只需要伸展一下拳腳，但是別做太過分以至于忘乎所以。” ????譯者：Winter |
????Dear Annie:I just got passed over for yet another promotion, the third one in five years, even though I've been working flat-out and all my performance evaluations have been great. This is upsetting, but perhaps not surprising, considering that I am Asian American (third-generation Chinese) and there is no one of Asian extraction in any high position at this company. I hate to "play the race card," but given the circumstances, I can't help wondering if there is some subtle race discrimination at work here. What are your thoughts? —Invisible Man ????Dear I.M.:You aren't the only one wondering. About 5% of U.S. residents identify themselves as Asian, but Asian Americans hold fewer than 2% of executive jobs at Fortune 500 companies, according to a study published in July by the nonprofit Center for Work-Life Policy. ????The gap clearly isn't due to a lack of education: 16% of all Ivy League college grads identify as Asian or Asian American (over three times the group's representation in the population overall), and more than one-third (35%) of students at top schools like M.I.T. and Stanford identify as Asian or Asian American. ????Granted, every now and then someone who identifies as Asian or Asian American scales the corporate heights, like Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon Products (AVP), and Citigroup (C) chief Vikram Pandit. Altogether, eight Fortune 500 CEOs identify themselves as Asian. ????Partly for that reason, about one-quarter of Asian people surveyed for the CWLP study said they believe that race discrimination is holding them back at work. Interestingly, a scant 4% of Caucasians saw any evidence of bias against Asian people. ????So what gives? ????Human resources consultant Jane Hyun says that some Asian cultures encourage an ethic that rewards hard work without seeking public recognition. "'But hard work alone isn't enough," says Hyun, who runs an executive coaching firm called Hyun & Associates and is the author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians. "Asian cultures have sayings like 'The loudest duck gets shot,'" Hyun observes. "This is totally opposite from, and incompatible with, Western notions like 'The squeaky wheel gets the grease.'" ????Michael Hyter, author of a new book called The Power of Choice, agrees. As head of Boston-based consulting firm Global Novations, he has noticed in his work with American and Asian clients that "there is a real cultural disconnect. ????"Americans are taught to show leadership potential by being gregarious, outgoing, outspoken, and confident, but the Asian ideal is to work very hard, be humble and deferential, and blend in with the group. Expressing opinions or proposing changes is often seen [in Asia] as disrespectful." ????About half (48%) of respondents to the CWLP survey said the biggest hurdle Asian Americans face is "conformity to prevailing leadership models." ????Says Hyter, "It's important to take a close look at who is getting promoted at your company and analyze what they're doing, besides working hard. You need to understand how your company defines leadership qualities." ????He notes that technical skills are the easiest kind to identify and measure, so "they tend to be how we evaluate our own performance. But, although no one talks about it, promotions are 85% based on other skills, like the ability to influence others and form strategic relationships." ????You don't have to go it alone. Hyter, a former executive at Dayton Hudson (now Target) who happens to be African-American, says his own parents instilled in him the idea that "getting good grades and out-working everyone else would make me successful," he recalls. "Then I noticed that alone was not doing it. Luckily, I had a mentor who helped me figure out the unwritten rules." ????You need one too. "It should be someone at least two levels above you in the organization," Hyter says. "Ask for feedback about what you need to work on." ????At the same time, both Hyun and Hyter urge you to expand your network and boost your visibility by seeking out "opportunities to lead projects and influence people," Hyter says. "It requires you to stretch a little -- without losing sight of who you are."? |
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