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Ensuring Minority Achievement in Corporations

The Importance of Structural Theory and Structural Change

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Ensuring Minority Success in Corporate Management

Part of the book series: Plenum Studies in Work and Industry ((SSWI))

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Abstract

In 1977, I proposed a theory to account for the differential success of some groups (e.g., white males) compared to others (e.g., women and minorities) in the management and upper professional ranks of corporations (Kanter 1977a). This theory shifted the focus of attention away from individual characteristics of the members of the group and toward aspects of organizational position. It shifted the “credit” or the “blame” for job achievement away from personality or learned propensity and toward the position or structural location as a determinant of work behavior and occupational achievement. Therefore, action steps to change structures, not individuals, are the natural extension of the theory.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02163, USA

    Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Class of 1960 Professor of Business Administration)

Authors
  1. Rosabeth Moss Kanter
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rutgers Graduate School of Management, Newark, New Jersey, USA

    Donna E. Thompson  & Nancy DiTomaso  & 

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© 1984 Rosabeth Moss Kanter

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Kanter, R.M. (1984). Ensuring Minority Achievement in Corporations. In: Thompson, D.E., DiTomaso, N. (eds) Ensuring Minority Success in Corporate Management. Plenum Studies in Work and Industry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5517-5_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5517-5_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-5519-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-5517-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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