This document discusses a study on the underrepresentation of Black male executives in Fortune 500 companies. The purpose is to discover the profile of Black male senior executives, identify factors inhibiting their representation, and explore motivating factors for success. Goals are to determine profiles, biggest inhibitors like the "good old boy" system, and motivating factors. Results found most Black executives came from two-parent homes, the largest inhibitor was maintaining the status quo, and racial stereotyping was also a big challenge. The document provides context on the lack of Black CEOs and underrepresentation in top executive jobs.

1. The underrepresentation of
Black Male Executives in
Corporate America.
By Harry E. Sloan

2. Overview
• The purpose of the project
• Rationale: Statement of the problem
• Goals & Objectives
• Strategies
• History & Background
• Final results

3. The purpose of this written project
is three-fold: 1) to discover the
profile of the Black male senior
executive in the Fortune 500
companies; 2) to identify the
perceived inhibiting factors that
may have led to the under-
representation of Black male senior
executives and CEOs in corporate
America; and 3) to explore the
motivating factors (enablers) that
may have assisted Black male
executives in reaching the top in
the Fortune 500 companies.
Purpose:

4. RATIONALE: Statement of the
problem.
There is an underrepresentation of
Black male Executives and CEOs in
the Fortune
500 companies in corporate America.

5. Goals & Objectives
The experiences of these Black executives should help set
the stage to determine:
•What is the profile of the Black male executive at Fortune
500 companies?
•What are the biggest inhibitors contributing to the lack of
success of Black male executives in the Fortune 500
companies? In particular, what are the biggest factors
leading to the underrepresentation of Black male executives
and Black males who are I the position of CEO at Fortune
500 companies?
•What are the biggest motivating factors (enablers)
contributing to the success of Black males in reaching
executive positions at Fortune 500 companies?

6. STRATEGIES
1. Share findings with minorities, the majority group, women, and
corporate leaders. The
proper exposure could enhance minority executive mobility in corporate
American. There is only
limited exposure of statistical data on what positions Black males hold in
senior and executive
management in corporate America (Thomas, 2001).
2. Executive management needs to ensure minorities and women’s
exposure to powerful
mentors and other enablers in the corporations. Studies have shown that
future leaders can be
greatly enhanced by the proper support from the current leaders (Shea,
1992).
3. Leaders in corporate American should work diligently to minimize, if
not eliminate,
the “Good-Old-Boy” system in favor of an equitable and flaxen system
that is possible for all
who have the ability and “will” to move up regardless of color, religion, o
gender.
4. Additional studies need to be conducted on the subject; for example,
expansions of this
study into the Fortune 1000 companies. This process could support a bette
environment toward
diversity in corporate America for Senior level management.
5. Black male executives, other minorities, and women should utilize this
study to
heighten their awareness of the known pitfalls that they may encounter in
corporate America.
This finely-tuned awareness could help lessen the burden for minorities in
their continued upper
mobility.

7. History & Back ground:
• In 1999 Franklin D. Raines became the
first Black male to head a Fortune 500
company.
• As of today there are only 4 black male
CEO’s
• Blacks consists of only 2.5% of top exec
jobs out of 34 million.
• Black women represent 25% of the 265
black execs in Fortune 500 companies.
• In 1995 97% of all male execs were
white.

8. RESULTS:
1.What is the profile of the Black male executives in the Fortune
500 corporations?
Over 78% of the participants came from a two-parent family
structure. Literature shows
that the demographics of the two-parent family structure for the
participants are dissimilar to the
general population. For example, the national average for two-
parent family structure is 91%, as
compared to the participants at 78% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000).
However, the single-parent
family component of the participants (17.2%) compares favorably
with the national average of
18.5% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Additionally, the marital status
of the participants is 66% as
compared to 89% for White male executives (U.S. Census Bureau,
2000).

9. RESULTS:
What were the top three inhibitors
that the participants personally
experienced in
reaching the top in corporate
America? Over two-thirds (68%)
of the participants felt that the top
inhibitor for Black male executives
was “the White male system
looking to maintain status quo.”

10. RESULTS:
The third highest inhibitor percentage (46%) was
“racial stereotyping.” This finding is
supported by research done by Sue and Sue (1990)
and Cross (1991). They found that racial
stereotyping played a significantly negative role in
the development of Black males. An
additional confirmation can be seen in the research
of Cobbs and Turnock (2003). They argued
that Blacks still find it difficult to acquire
powerful and influential mentors

12. It doesn't matter who you
are, where you come from.
The ability to triumph
begins with you. Always.
- Oprah Winfrey