One signifi cant problem in
many organizations is a mind-set that views difference as defi ciency or dysfunction.7
A survey by Korn Ferry International found that 59 percent of minority managers
surveyed had observed a racially motivated double standard in the delegation of
assignments.8 Their perceptions are supported by a study that showed minority
managers spend more time in the “bullpen” waiting for their chance and then
have to prove themselves over and over again with each new assignment. Another
recent study found that white managers gave more negative performance ratings
to African-American leaders and white subordinates and more positive ratings to
white leaders and African-American subordinates, affi rming the widespread
acceptance of these employees in their stereotypical roles.9 The perception
by many minorities is that no matter how many college degrees they earn, how
many hours they work, how they dress, or how much effort and enthusiasm they
invest, they are never considered to “have the right stuff.”