Examining the zone

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to understand the narratives of Black women in executive or senior level roles in corporate America who participated in a cross-cultural executive coaching relationship. This study dissected the complex dynamics and dimensions of Black women's identities in corporate America as they engaged in cross-cultural executive coaching relationships. This study investigated two research questions: (a) What are the narratives of Black women in executive or senior level roles in corporate America who participated in the cross-cultural executive coaching relationship? and (b) How do Black women in executive or senior level roles in corporate America maintain their Black identities in cross-cultural executive coaching relationships? Semi structured interviews were conducted with eight Black women executives, who participated in a cross-cultural executive coaching relationship, the durations of which ranged from 6 months to 4 years. Transcripts were analyzed to identify key themes using Clandinin and Connelly's (2000) three-dimensional space narrative inquiry perspective: temporality, sociality, and place. Five key themes emerged: (a) Becoming Me and Identity Construction; (b) Corporate Adaptation; (c) Inclusion, Belonging, and Acceptance; (d) Relatability, Vulnerability, and Trust; and (e) Evolving Mindset. The study's key findings were viewed through the study's theoretical framework of identity safety and extant literature. The study revealed key opportunities for executive coaches to prioritize Black women's identities and cultural relevance in cross-cultural coaching relationships. Cross-cultural coaching relationships rooted in psychological safety, trust, relatability, and vulnerability inevitably permitted executive coaches to reach Black women's zone of proximal development (ZPD), the zone in which coaching is maximized for new learnings and growth. As an asset-based study, this research fills a gap in the literature, which largely failed to consider the experiences of Black women's intersectional identities in the emerging field of executive coaching as a highly effective capacity building intervention. This research aimed to use the study's phenomenon, cross-cultural executive coaching, as a prospective accelerator to improve the career trajectory of Black women within the underrepresented ranks at the executive and senior levels in corporate America. --Author's abstract