Advances in Developing Human Resources

The leadership of Black male leaders is an under-studied topic in the leadership literature and more so in the field of human resource development. Moreover, traditional and contemporary leadership theories are universalized and have not adequately captured social and emotional issues encountered by leaders within their social identity location. A closer examination of this phenomenon is needed to close the gap in the human resource development literature as well as contemporary leadership theory.

A qualitative study was used to examine the experiences of Black male leaders in an organizational setting using the frameworks of emotional intelligence and social architecture. Findings suggest that emotional intelligence explains why Black male leaders desire mentorship, need increased organizational support for psychological safety, use specialized strategies to deal with social and emotional distress, face barriers to acculturation into the workplace culture, draw on authentic leadership skills to face obstructions to leadership, and use code switching to navigate multiple identities. Recommendations are made for more inclusive mentoring programs that consider the needs of this underrepresented group.

HRD researchers, scholars, educators, practitioners, organizational leaders and others involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

In predominantly White organizational contexts and professions, such as human resources, that are significantly occupied by non-Blacks, Black male leaders struggle with achieving career success due to a lack of organizational support. Although existing research in human resource development (HRD) and career development provides a holistic representation of minoritized groups, there is a dearth of research that addresses the professional development of Black males.

This article is an autoethnographic exploration of my experiences as a Black male leader in a predominantly White organization and profession (human resources). This article leverages autoethnography and critical race theory (CRT) as appropriate lenses to view my experiences as a Black male leader in this organizational/professional context. I utilize a layered account approach to position and deconstruct my experiences to provide an insider perspective of power structures that impede the leadership development of Black males.

HRD scholars, practitioners, organizational leaders, and Black males who are embarking upon and/or establishing their professional careers in predominantly White organizations.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and other Black men (and women) successfully used servant leadership to advance U.S. civil rights. Yet, the value of these leadership practices among Black men in contemporary workplaces is not known. The decision to lead may be based upon one’s leadership self-efficacy and influenced by community and as Black men prioritize social justice and developing others, they may be servant leaders. While engaged, the role of microaggression on engagement has not been studied. Thus, research is needed on Black male leadership.

This study examined whether Black men possess the antecedent of leadership efficacy, demonstrate servant leadership, experience the outcome of engagement, and microaggressions, whether microaggressions mediated and decreased their engagement, and did socio-identities function as a moderator. Using cross-sectional survey methodology, a confirmatory factor analysis and a causal model was conducted along with a post hoc ANOVA. Black men leaders were about a third of the sample (n = 364). The structural equation modeling revealed the significant findings that leadership efficacy predicted servant leadership, servant leadership predicted engagement, and, microaggressions partially mediated engagement. Socio-identities did moderate leadership efficacy, engagement, and microaggressions but not servant leadership and the overall measurement model.

This study benefits HRD and other scholars and practitioners who study leadership including those with intersecting identities—African American men.