Research Paper: Intersectionality In Career Coaching

Discrimination is a powerful force that can cause an individual to question her self-worth. Everyone is affected by discrimination in different ways, but in the aggregate, African-American women are forced to dedicate large amounts of energy and time processing and combating racism, sexism and classism that are prevalent in society. As a result, it is foreseeable that an African-American career coaching client may harness anger, sadness and doubt towards prejudiced individuals. Due to this, the client may knowingly or unknowingly limit her career options in order to avoid confrontational situation. Such perceived limitations may manifest themselves in assessing the client’s strengths and the likelihood of success within a particular organization or field.

applying specific techniques to avoid feelings of victimization

It is likely that African-American female clients are more likely to feel victimized by discrimination and unable to control their destiny. Coaching can encourage the client to respond to discriminatory situations and to identify triggers that cause the client to feel helpless. Specific tactics need to be employed to overcome the obstacles that are unique to African-American females. These clients face higher barriers to entry as described above. Plans to overcomethese external barriers are integral to the success of coaching sessions, however the greater task is coaching the client through understanding how the tools within the client can combat the effects of this multidimensional discrimination that is likely to occur in the future. In addition to providing support to a client during a move to a new job or an internal promotion, clients often seek career coaches to assist with approaching their current job with more positivity. Visualization is helpful in introducing feelings in future projections of positivity. The coach should encourage the client to create vision boards targeted specifically to respect, equality and non-discrimination. These boards should be used in conjunction with the boards that focus more around a specific job or tangible objects.

Reframing intersectionality as an asset that can advance your client’s career can be a powerful experience in career coaching an African-American female. The discrimination that results from intersectionality has been described in detail, and must be honestly evaluated in a coaching relationship. However, the coach and the client must partner to view the phenomenon from a positive perspective. Intersectionality does not have to be a one-sided negative element comprised solely of discrimination. Intersectionality also provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the client, and explore how this diversity can be an asset to the client’s career advancement. In order to reframe the client’s perspectives on intersectionality, the coach should encourage the client to: (i) believe that their diverse characteristics are an asset to the work environment, and (ii) reduce the burden to the executives in the organization of having to manage diversity.[ix]

Research has proven that workplaces where diversity is present and encouraged generate greater levels of creativity and productivity.[x] Businesses often ask for other business’ diversity statistics prior to forging partnerships or engaging them in consulting projects. The coach and the client should be aware of these general facts before specifying what specific assets the client’s diversity can add to the workplace. Inquiring why a client enjoys certain diverse traits about themselves, people or experiences they have had as a result of their diversity will help to illuminate these assets for the client.

Management is often tasked with the responsibility of managing diversity. This can include sensitivity training, assessment of the positive attributes of diversity, and encouraging safe and constructive communication. The theme of personal awareness and responsibility runs throughout these obligations. Bringing such an awareness of the surface can be done through coaching. An individual who has been coached using intersectionality awareness techniques will be in a better position to be an active participant in processes to manage diversity in the workplace. The client will have explored how personal and systemic bias affect their lives, and how to expect nothing less than equality and respect.

Conclusion

Clients are likely to feel vulnerable when approaching a career coach. It is a challenge for the coach to discuss race, gender, sexual orientation, and other very personal characteristics without being stereotypical, insensitive or divisive. If a coach is educated on intersectionality and diversity, the ability to assist African-American females in career coaching will be given much more structure and depth. Although the theory of intersectionality was developed to explain discrimination, coaching can reframe the theory to uncover a client’s positive thoughts about their diverse traits.

Acknowledgement