Paving the way : a case study exploring the career development and advancement of women of color to reach senior leadership at a corporate organization.

Women of color remain significantly underrepresented in corporate senior leadership, emphasizing the need to understand their career development and advancement experiences. The limited presence of women of color in upper leadership roles poses challenges to achieving greater diversity and inclusive decision-making processes at the highest levels of leadership. Despite this disparity, some women of color have triumphed over challenges and barriers to ascend into top leadership positions. This research study investigated the lived experiences of women of color and the underlying influences that contributed to their career advancement and success.

This qualitative case study explored the career development and advancement experiences of women of color in senior leadership. I collected data through semi-structured interviews, career experiences timelines, and documents to provide rich details of the career experiences of four participants. Social cognitive career theory provided the foundation for the theoretical framework that guided this study. The focus of this study was to understand how perceived self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal goals influenced the career development and advancement of women of color to reach senior leadership positions.

The findings revealed that women of color establish and maintain support systems, enabling them to receive guidance and build confidence for career advancement. Additionally, participants demonstrated perseverance through overcoming challenges, allowing them to advance in their careers. Moreover, these women were committed to creating lasting impact and influence, shaping their outcome expectations in their career journey. Furthermore, women of color focused on work-life integration, balancing career pursuits with personal and professional responsibilities. These results have implications for corporate executive leaders and human resources practitioners to enhance policies and practices that support the career trajectories of women of color within the corporate environment. Additionally, these key stakeholders must commit to prioritizing the career advancement of women of color to reach senior leadership. By revealing the career journeys of women of color, this study offers strategies to attain upper leadership positions, paving the way for a more diverse representation in top leadership roles.