Table Of ContentA Phenomenological Inquiry Examining the Lived Experiences
of African-American Male Senior Executive
Service Members in the United States Federal Government
Corey A. Beckett
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Public Administration
College of Public Affairs
University of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
May 2015
A Phenomenological Inquiry Examining the Lived Experiences
of African-American Male Senior Executive
Service Members in the United States Federal Government
A Dissertation
Submitted to
College of Public Affairs
University of Baltimore
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Public Administration
By
Corey A. Beckett
______________________________________
Heather Wyatt-Nichol, Ph.D.
_____________________________ _______________________________
Lenneal J. Henderson, Ph.D. Robbie Mitchell, Jr. Ph.D.
College of Public Affairs
University of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
May 2015
DEDICATION
To all of the senior executives who shared their experiences with me and who daily
demonstrate their commitment to the intellectual development and the economic
empowerment of our nation’s African-American community by respecting family,
spirituality, justice and integrity.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, thanks to my family for having the patience with me for having taken yet
another challenge that decreases the amount of time I can spend with them. Most of my
research and writing occurred on weekends, nights, while on vacation, and other times
inconvenient to my family. I would like to especially thank my wife Lisa who has been
patient, understanding, and helpful from the beginning, as my doctoral pursuit has taken
time through this journey. You have been a supporting partner, typist, and proofreader
and for that, I love you.
I would like to thank my doctoral committee members, Dr. Heather Wyatt-Nichol,
Dr. Lenneal Henderson, and Dr. Robbie Mitchell Jr. for their advice, guidance, and
support throughout this entire process. Thanks to all my friends for sharing my happiness
when starting this project and following with encouragement when it seemed too difficult
and time-consuming to be completed. Finally, I would like to thank my fellow
classmates, Mark Stevens, Claudia Haywood, and Ayodeji Omoulou for their moral and
intellectual support throughout this journey.
ABSTRACT
A Phenomenological Inquiry Examining the Lived Experiences
of African-American Male Senior Executive
Service members in the United States Federal Government
Corey A. Beckett
Federal agencies have made significant efforts to implement equal employment
opportunities and workplace diversity through the development and implementation of
diversity programs and policies. However, the evidence indicates that Senior Executive
Service (SES) glass ceilings still exist for certain minorities, thereby hindering the overall
achievement of workplace diversity. African-American males make up only 5.3% of total
employees in the SES, one of the lowest percentage of all racial groups. This suggests
that African–American males may be at a disadvantage in evaluations for leadership
positions due to their race. However, no previous research has focused on this issue. The
purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore African-American males’ lived
experiences of progressing to and holding federal SES positions. It was designed to
investigate the organizational and individual-level factors that have shaped these
experiences and the strategies used to ascend to and remain relevant in SES roles. A
qualitative, phenomenological research design enabled the researcher to achieve deep
insights into the lived experiences of a sample of African-American males in SES
positions. The findings indicate that the African-American males in this sample have
struggled in various ways to achieve and succeed in their roles. This appears to be due to
a lack of organizational support in their paths to success, as well as the negative impact of
stereotypes and misconceptions relating to African-American men. Despite this, the
research participants have successfully overcome the challenges and have drawn on
personal strengths and skills as well as specific strategies in achieving success. As a
result, they are delivering high levels of value to their respective organizations and
positive role models to other African-American males. By providing greater
organizational support and enforcing compliance with diversity policies, federal agencies
are likely to benefit from a more diverse racial representation in the SES while improving
social equity in employment.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1
Background of the Study .................................................................................................... 3
Overview of the Senior Executive Service ......................................................................... 5
Research Gap ...................................................................................................................... 7
Problem Statement .............................................................................................................. 8
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 9
Research Objectives ............................................................................................................ 9
Research Methodology ....................................................................................................... 9
Study Rationale ................................................................................................................. 10
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................... 11
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 11
Glass Ceiling in Federal Senior Executive Service .......................................................... 11
Case for Increasing Representation of African-American Males in SES ......................... 13
Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 16
Public Sector Leadership .................................................................................................. 22
Perceptions of American Males in Federal Senior Executive Service ............................. 28
Factors that Influence Achievement among Male African American Senior
Executives ............................................................................................................. 30
ii
Organizational Barriers ..................................................................................................... 31
Advanced degree requirements. ........................................................................................ 32
Lack of career progression or development programs. ..................................................... 33
Performance-based competencies and skills. .................................................................... 37
Organizational and managerial commitment to diversity. ................................................ 39
Social Factors .................................................................................................................... 43
Discrimination, preconceptions, and stereotypes.............................................................. 44
Double and multiple jeopardy ........................................................................................... 48
Personal Characteristics .................................................................................................... 49
Chapter Summary .......................................................................................................... 54
Chapter III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................. 55
Introduction and Overview ............................................................................................... 55
Research Sample ............................................................................................................... 56
Overview of Information Needed ..................................................................................... 57
Research Design Overview ............................................................................................... 60
Data Collection Methods .................................................................................................. 63
Methods for Data Analysis and Synthesis ........................................................................ 65
Ethical Considerations ...................................................................................................... 71
Issues of Trustworthiness .................................................................................................. 73
Limitations of the Study.................................................................................................... 75
Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 77
CHAPTER IV RESULTS and FINDINGS .................................................................. 81
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 81
Description of the Sample ................................................................................................. 82
Analysis............................................................................................................................. 88
Experiences That Have Shaped the Achievements of Participants in the SES................. 90
Factors Influencing the Choice to Seek Federal Employment.......................................... 91
Federal Employment History ............................................................................................ 92
Factors Contributing to the Attainment of SES ................................................................ 93
Strategies Used to Reach the SES and Fulfill their Responsibilities ................................ 97
Deliberate Strategies and Activities .................................................................................. 97
Skills, Values, and Beliefs .............................................................................................. 107
Overcoming Barriers as African Americans ................................................................... 111
Meanings attributed by Participants to their SES Achievements ................................... 113
Benefits, Rewards and Challenges of being SES ............................................................ 114
What it Means to be an SES ........................................................................................... 116
Being an African American SES .................................................................................... 120
Summary ......................................................................................................................... 124
CHAPTER V: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ...................................................... 125
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 125
Review of Results and Findings ..................................................................................... 129
Experiences that Shape Achievements of African-American Men in SES .................... 129
Strategies that African-Americans Believe they Used to Reach SES ............................. 133
Meanings Made from Achievements of African–American Men in SES ...................... 137
Theoretical Implication and Practice .............................................................................. 142
Limitations of the Study.................................................................................................. 144
Future Research .............................................................................................................. 147
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 147
Summary ......................................................................................................................... 149
References ....................................................................................................................... 151
APPENDIXES ............................................................................................................... 161
APPENDIX 1: SES DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICS ................................................... 162
APPENDIX 2: LETTERS OF INVITATION AND INFORMED CONSENT ............. 182
APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS ................................................................. 184
APPENDIX 4: DATA CODING .................................................................................... 190
APPENDIX 5: OUTLINE OF RESEARCH DESIGN PROCESS ................................ 193
APPENDIX 6: ROLE DEMANDS ON MINORITY ADMINISTRATORS ................ 194
APPENDIX 7: ADVOCACY MODELS........................................................................ 195
