A qualitative study informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT): Black white-collar workers assess racism, biases, and discrimination in organizational settings
Date of Award
Summer 2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership (EdD)
Committee Chair
Solomon Tention
Committee Member
Donis Toler
Committee Member
Eric Parker
Abstract
This narrative qualitative study assessed how Black white-collar workers perceived racism, biases, and discrimination in organizational settings. The research question (RQ) guided the research: What are the perspectives/lived experiences of Black white-collar workers with racism, biases, and discrimination in the workplace? The study’s qualitative research design consisted of semi-structured interviews with seven open-ended questions. There were 18 participants in this study. This study supported a learning outcome of the Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership program by analyzing organizational problems, developing solutions, and measuring their impact. The theoretical framework for the study was Nickels and Leach’s (2021) Critical Race Theory (CRT), which served as the theoretical lens of the study problem. The problem of practice occurred when organizational leaders utilized Institutional Racial Paralysis (IRP). The research phenomenon flourished when executive members looked the other way or ignored the existence of racism, biases, and discrimination in corporate culture. The researcher managed the data from the study on Zoom and Microsoft Word. The researcher coded the data from the 18 interviews on Atlas.ti and found 23 themes, including Black white-collar workers felt undermined and devalued in their organizations, Black white-collar workers said they were passed over for promotions or received minimal promotions compared to their White counterparts, Black white-collar workers experienced the credit and accolades for their ideas going to other workers. The findings from this study could assist organizational leadership in developing solutions to problems associated with racism, biases, and discrimination in the workplace.
Recommended Citation
Demmons, Lloyd Alan, "A qualitative study informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT): Black white-collar workers assess racism, biases, and discrimination in organizational settings" (2023). All Doctoral Student Dissertations. 120.
https://fuse.franklin.edu/docpub/120