Open shared link Close shared link
Hardworking, nerdy, good at math – these are some of the stereotypes that American culture has of East Asians such as Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. However, East Asians are not often depicted as a well-respected fountain of creativity in American culture. In fact, the opposite is true, and the adjective “robot-like” applies to East Asian achievements. For example, when Chinese-American figure skater Nathan Chen won the gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, a Washington Post article described his victory as “an almost robotic enthusiasm rather than a creative talent.” ”.
A new study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Associate Professor Jackson Lu reveals how this stereotype of creativity contributes to a phenomenon known as the “bamboo ceiling.” Despite the educational and economic success of East Asians in the United States, they remain underrepresented in leadership roles.
“If East Asians are perceived to be less creative than other ethnicities, and if that creativity is linked to the emergence of leadership in the United States, then East Asians face challenges in advancing to leadership positions.” “It’s possible,” Lu said. “This is a problem for organizations interested in leveraging a diverse workforce.”
Professor Lu’s previous research has investigated East Asians’ lack of assertiveness and their tendency to prioritize interactions with in-group ethnic members as an explanation for their disproportionately low leadership attainment. However, as Lu points out, these studies only partially explain the phenomenon.
In the new study, Lu used mixed methods to investigate the link between perceived creativity and leadership achievement. He began by conducting two field studies with MBA students who were new to the program and assigned to class sections throughout the year. The survey asked about the relative creativity of their classmates and who could be effective leaders. As this was the beginning of an MBA program, student interaction was limited and may have been influenced by stereotypes of creativity.
East Asians were rated as less creative and less likely to be nominated or elected as leaders than other ethnic groups. These results were consistent even after statistically accounting for factors such as proactivity, leadership motivation, and English proficiency.
To strengthen causal inference, Lu’s second set of studies used vignette experiments. Participants read several profiles of candidates for senior executive positions at consulting firms or marketing agencies. The applicants were identical except for their indicated ethnicity, which was implicit through their names. “Kim” for East Asia, “A. Patel” (South Asian), “Becker” for A. White, etc. In these scenarios, East Asian candidates were perceived as less suitable for leadership roles due to participants’ perceptions of lower creativity.
Related articles
For Lu, these results have three implications. First, it is important for organizations to recognize that East Asians sometimes face different stereotypes and associated challenges, in this case perceptions of creativity, than those faced by South Asians. In other words, the label “Asian” should not be read as monolithic.
Second, “individuals and organizations need to be mindful of concepts that can exacerbate this stereotype of creativity,” Lu said. “For example, the stereotype that East Asians are good at math may imply that they are uncreative ‘quantum nerds,'” said Lu, whose parents immigrated from Taiwan. He pointed out that US presidential candidate Andrew Yang used the acronym MATH (Make America Think). Harder’s campaign slogan was criticized for potentially exacerbating stereotypes about East Asians.
Finally, organizations can take two steps to address the negative effects of this stereotype. First, we can develop a platform that encourages East Asians to showcase their creative ideas. Such focused outreach may be especially valuable given the cultural norms of modesty that tend to keep East Asians away from the spotlight. Second, organizations may downplay the importance of leader creativity. “Instead of focusing too much on leaders’ own creativity, organizations should encourage leaders to foster creativity in others,” Lu said. “Leaders don’t have to be the primary source of creative ideas, but they do need to be good at eliciting creativity from others.”
