CROSS-RACE RELATIONSHIPS AS SITES OF TRANSFORMATION: NAVIGATING THE PROTECTIVE SHELL AND THE INSULAR BUBBLE KAREN AUDREY GEIGER A DISSERTATION Submitted to the PhD in Leadership & Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy October, 2010 This is to certify that the dissertation entitled: CROSS-RACE RELATIONSHIPS AS SITES OF TRANSFORMATION: NAVIGATING THE PROTECTIVE SHELL AND THE INSULAR BUBBLE prepared by Karen Audrey Geiger is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership & Change. Approved by: ___________________________________________________________________ Dr. Lize Booysen, Chair Date ___________________________________________________________________ Dr. Elizabeth Holloway, Committee Member Date ___________________________________________________________________ Dr. Stella M. Nkomo, Committee Member Date ___________________________________________________________________ Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, External Reader Date Copyright 2010 Karen Audrey Geiger All rights reserved Acknowledgements There are many people who share this accomplishment with me. I was fortunate to have “The Dream Team” as my committee. Dr. Lize Booysen appeared in my life at the perfect time and has become a friend, a mentor, and a role model for me in addition to being a supportive Chair with high standards. Dr. Elizabeth Holloway has been there since the beginning of the doctoral program, inspiring me with her piercing insights, depth of grounded theory application, and wise flexibility. Dr. Stella Nkomo reappeared in my life as I began this program and I consider it an honor to have reconnected with her and that she agreed to be an Advisor for some of my pre-dissertation work and, then, on my committee. She is a mentor with global reach and is a model to me of generosity of spirit. “Our Separate Ways,” co-authored by Dr. Nkomo and Dr. Ella Bell (2001) was an important catalyst for my work. Thanks, also, to Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts for agreeing to be my External Reader and for her helpful feedback on my proposal and insight into the social identity and positive scholarship arenas. The Antioch faculty is simply the best, and I especially acknowledge Dr. Philomena Essed, who not only was my wise and patient Advisor, but on our first walk, gave me a gentle jump start on this journey. The Antioch faculty has demonstrated to me what it looks like when an entire faculty is committed to student learning and development. I could not have done any of this without the devotion and unconditional love and support of my best friend and husband, Damon. He was named after the Greek legend of Damon and Pythias, symbolizing trust and friendship and has lived his life showing constant devotion to those he loves. From building shelves for the books I added to my library, helping me understand that the emotional phases I went through for each assignment were predictable, being i patient with me when I was physically with him but mentally distracted, and above all, being interested in my research question and learning along with me the entire time; this is what his love looked like and I treasure him. My mother (and namesake) was also with me in many ways throughout this journey. She has been generous in so many ways; offering her editing time and talent, transcribing some of the interviews, contributing to my tuition, helping me fill in the gaps about my hometown, and sharing her praise and pride in me the whole way. Mom, your love shows no limits and I love you. My cousin (and “bonus sister”) Lois has shown me total and unconditional support as well, making the annual trek from New Jersey to North Carolina with Mom, efficiently editing references, and being patient and flexible with all of the moving targets as we reached the destination. The rest of my family and their ongoing love and support, making our own “ecosystem” a nurturing one. My sister Jill’s T-shirts were an extraordinary and creative show of solidarity for me, and Polly’s effort to be at my defense was heartwarming. My son, Michael, was a loving companion as always. He read some of my Learning Achievements, compared the length of my papers to his, taught me statistics, discussed and debated my learning with me, encouraged and had faith in me, let me use his room as a Ph.D. Study Room and, as always, buoyed me with his friendship and delightful sense of humor. My son, Adam, may not realize that he contributed, but I appreciate his interest in my learning, sharing the study of hermeneutics, and as always, challenging me to make this issue part of my life’s work. I have wonderful friends who are part of who I am. Laura Treppel has always been the most loyal and loving friend anyone could have. Janet Singerman is there for all of the big and ii little celebrations of life, as well as honoring my passion for this issue. Jean Bingay lovingly nurtures my body and my spirit; Diane Mowrey shared my research interest, as well as her home when I needed quiet; and Elizabeth McKee has been a joy to have in my life. In addition to my friendship with Lillian Drakeford, Cheryl Jordan, and Carolyn Goings, I learned so much from their willingness to talk openly about race and to allow tensions to surface so we could talk about them. I extend deep appreciation for their willingness to trust me enough to share themselves with me. The Antioch learning community is respectful, challenging, and supportive, and Cohort 6 was no exception. Special thanks go to Martha Miser who was my regular roommate and was willing to be a sounding board for my processing issues from the first night of the program to the last, as well as becoming a good friend. I thank Dr. Harriet Schwartz for her willingness to be part of my coding team and Julie Johnson, my “research buddy,” for this study was the best— conscientious, reliable, curious, and dedicated to the learning process. I look forward to her continued friendship. The McColl School of Business faculty has been a source of learning for me for the past 16 years and I particularly appreciate Drs. Bill Berry, Cathy Anderson, Bob Finley, and Linda Christopherson for their many years of support and belief in me. And last, but certainly not least, the participants in my research deserve appreciation and gratitude for their willingness to share themselves and their stories with me. I am deeply grateful on many levels not only for the respect they had for this issue, for their trust and candor, for sharing their pain, discomfort, anger, vulnerability, and new awareness with me, but also for the way they live their lives. I am inspired by each and every one of these women: Jen Algire, iii Rosalyn Allison-Jacobs, Donna Arrington, Sylvia Bittle-Patton, Liz Clasen-Kelly, Angi Clinton, Stephanie Counts, Dot Counts-Scoggins, Toni Freeman, Valaida Fullwood, Shirley Fulton, Carol Hardison, Mary Klenz, Vi Lyles, Janice Allen Jackson, Mary Nell McPherson, Carol Morris, Edna Norwood, Barbara Riley, Carol Sawyer, Octavia Sewell, Kirsten Sikkelee, Sarah Stevenson, Mary Tribble, and Patricia Zoder. It has been a privilege to travel this journey with each of you. iv Abstract The context of leadership has evolved to incorporate greater social identity differences. Therefore, learning ways to navigate differences in social identity becomes important work leaders must now do. Because these differences surface in relationship with others, examining a relational framework helps us understand the nature of what happens between people (Ely & Roberts, 2008). This study explored the processes by which Black African American and White European American women enact leadership by creating and sustaining cross-race relationships as they work to change unjust systems around them. Using grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2006; Strauss & Corbin, 1990), a model was developed using the metaphors of “insular bubble,” “protective shell,” and “ecosystem” that illuminates the processes and strategies Black African American and White European American women use to create and sustain effective cross-race working relationships. The findings also generated a typology of tools, described as “nurturing the ecosystem” that each person in the relationship can use to create space in which to demonstrate positive ways of expressing social identity. These tools can be used in intrapsychic, interpersonal, and extra-relationship arenas. Focusing on race and gender as primary social identity differences, this question also took into account the systems that create patterns of domination and marginalization around those identities. Therefore, this study contributed to the leadership and change literature by illustrating the processes by which leaders can effectively incorporate a focus on social justice into their work, specifically in cross- race working relationships. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements i Abstract v Table of Contents vi List of Tables x List of Figures xi Chapter I: Introduction 1 Situating the Researcher 1 Purpose of the Study 3 Research Question 6 Summary of Chapters 10 Chapter II: Review of the Literature 12 The Context: Mainstream Leadership Literature 14 The Context: Literature Focusing on Gender and Leadership 21 The Context: Literature Focusing on Race and Leadership 25 Literature Focusing on Multiple Systems of Domination 28 The Context: Structured Systems of Domination 31 Social Identity,