Fostering Culturally Diverse Leadership in Organisations: Lessons from Those Who Smashed the Bamboo Ceiling

271 Pages·2022·3.493 MB·English

by  Karen Loon

Fostering Culturally
Diverse Leadership in
Organisations
Leveraging academic research and case studies, knowledge as a business leader
and diversity practitioner, and personal experience, Karen Loon examines how
successful culturally diverse leaders at work resolve the contradictions and
tensions of their identities within organisations. What can we learn from those
leaders who have thrived and smashed the ‘bamboo ceiling’? Moreover, are
there other factors holding organisational change back?
The book proposes research-based recommendations for aspiring leaders
and corporate practitioners whilst revealing the potential inhibitors to pro-
gress. Split into three sections, Loon examines current research on identities in
multicultural nations and organisations, delves into the career progression of
successful Asian-Australian leaders to explore how they negotiate identity in the
workplace, and provides a roadmap of actions for business leaders looking to
create more inclusive and diverse cultures in their organisations.
Written for both people new to diversity and those keen on new perspectives,
the book is well-suited for aspiring leaders at any stage of their careers looking
to accelerate their careers, as well as C-Suite, HR, and Diversity leads.
Karen Loon is a Non-Executive Director and a former senior Big 4 partner.
She has worked with the world’s leading banks and led diversity initiatives. She
has qualiÿcations in system psychodynamics and governance from INSEAD, and
research interests in identity work and organisational change.

KAREN LOON
Fostering
Culturally Diverse
Leadership in
Organisations
Lessons from Those Who
Smashed the Bamboo
Ceiling
Cover image: Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Karen Loon
The right of Karen Loon to be identifed as author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-032-27079-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-27078-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-29123-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003291237
Typeset in Joanna
by codeMantra
To my husband, Steven, and parents, Russell and Glenda

Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables x
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xvi
One
Introduction 1
PART I
Laying the Foundations 17
Two
Who Am I? The Infuences on Our Identity 19
The Current State of Culturally Diverse
Three
Leadership in Organisations 43
Lessons from Those Who Smashed the
PART II
Bamboo Ceiling 63
Familial Ties – How Families Shape Culturally
Four
Diverse Leaders 65
Thriving at Work – What Culturally
Five
Diverse Leaders Do to Win in the Workplace 85
Navigating the Maze – How Culturally Diverse
Six
Leaders Manage Their Journey to Leadership 109
Seven
How Organisations Infuence Us at Work 133
The Patterns of Life – Why Our
Eight
Career Experiences Differ 151
A Roadmap for Fostering Culturally
PART III
Diverse Leadership in Organisations 169
For Individuals – A Roadmap to
Nine
Super-Charge Your Career at Work 171
For Organisations – A Roadmap for Increasing
Ten
the Cultural Diversity of Your Leadership 197
Linking It Together – The Steps We
Eleven
Must All Take 228
Studying Culturally Diverse Leaders Appendix A 241
The Clinical Paradigm Appendix B 244
Index 247
s
t
n
e
t
n
o
C
viii
Figures
1.1 The transforming experience framework as applied
to an Asian-Australian leader 7
2.1 Components of identity 20
2.2 Acculturation strategies 26
2.3 James and Mary Chung-Gon (my great-great-grandparents)
with family in Launceston, in 1899 30
2.4 Dictation test exemption certiÿcate of Dang Loon,
my great-grandfather, in 1905 31
2.5 Dolly Yuen (my grandmother), Selina Hassan, Amy Johnston,
Gee Ming Ket, and Arthur Lee in Darwin, in 1930 32
2.6 Clarence Ng and Dorothy Yuen (my grandparents) with
wedding party in Darwin, in 1931 33
4.1 Example of role biography drawing by a female leader
who works at a PSF 79
5.1 Lens adopted for research 90
5.2 The experimentation and learning career cycle 91
6.1 How culturally diverse leaders navigate their
identity transitions 115 s
e
r
8.1 Attachment and relating styles 158 u
g
Fi
9.1 Keys to super-charging your career 173
10.1 Eight steps to foster culturally diverse leadership in your ix
organisation 202
11.1 Career progression model for culturally diverse leaders 229
11.2 Areas that contribute to improvements in culturally
diverse leadership 230
11.3 The author, age one, and her father 235