Are Asian American Employees a Model Minority or Just a Minority?

Abstract

This literature review note attempts to review and import from Asian American studies into organizational behavior key aspects of the Model Minority Thesis literature as it relates to workforce diversity. The supportive and critical perspectives on the Model Minority Thesis are explored. On the supportive side, it is argued that Asian Americans are a Model Minority: too successful to be considered a disadvantaged minority. Supporters want other minority groups to emulate Asian Americans and to eliminate affirmative action. Critics disaggregate the statistics used by proponents and find a bimodal distribution; some Asian Americans are economically well off but run into a glass ceiling, whereas others are disadvantaged.

The Model Minority Stereotype as a Prescribed Guideline of Empire: Situating the Model Minority Research in the Postcolonial Context

“…Studies have found that the MMS is a divide-and-conquer strategy because it presents Asian Americans as a success model to follow and justifies no need of affirmative action and social welfare for minorities (Cheng, 1997;Chou, 2008;Kia, 2007). Interestingly, the changes of the MMS discourse in Osajima's (2005) study indicated that the MMS is not solely a divide-andconquer strategy any more, unlike in the 1960s when it was devised and mainly compared Asian Americans with other minorities.…”

Career Development of Asian American Female Visual Artists

“…American studies researchers have proposed that this myth was utilized as a means to strip away the minority status of Asian Americans, as well as a means to divide and scapegoat the group amongst populations of color (Cheng, 1997;Ng, Lee, & Pak, 2007).…”

“…The term, "model minority" was originally coined in 1966 by journalist William Petersen in his New York Times article entitled, "Success story: Japanese-American style" (Cheng, 1997). This article compared the Japanese cultural group as "better than any other group in our society, including native-born whites" (Cheng, 1997).…”

“…This article compared the Japanese cultural group as "better than any other group in our society, including native-born whites" (Cheng, 1997). From that time, this myth has evolved into the erroneous generalization that all Asian Americans are academically successful, financially well-off, and excel in the math and science arenas (Tseng, Chao, & Padmawidjaja, 2007).…”

“…278), thereby closing academic and vocational opportunities that are available to other racial minority groups. For instance this myth perpetuates the belief that unemployment rates amongst Asian Americans are not an issue of concern (Cheng, 1997). However, the Economic Policy Institute (Austin, 2010) reported that Asian Americans with higher education degrees have a higher unemployment rate compared to their Caucasian counterparts.…”