Soul in Management: How African-American Managers Thrive in the Competitive Corporate Environment

This practical, straight-talking survival guide identifies three types of African American managers: assimilationist ""mode 1"" executives, who emphasize self-help and discipline, see racism as having little effect on them; ""mode 2"" managers, who focus on ways to avoid, finesse and overcome racism, which they regard as a pervasive factor; and ""mode 3"" types, who put much greater weight on the obstacles posed by systemic racism, refuse to compromise values to ingratiate themselves. America, who works for the Small Business Administration, and Anderson, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, take a decidedly middle-of-the-road approach, emphasizing teamwork and advising African American managers not to waste time and energy trying to confront discriminators or remove racial ceilings, but instead to sharpen skills, build professional credibility, make contacts and move up or out. Based largely on interviews with black managers at IBM, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, Bankers Trust, Xerox, General Electric, Martin-Lockheed and other major firms, this manual includes pragmatic advice on handling performance appraisals and interviews, getting along with one's boss and dealing with status-quo-defending Old Boys and Yammies (Young, Aggressive, Antagonistic, Amoral Managers). (Nov.)