It seems that many organizational leaders are trying to appeal to their diversity requirements by hiring a token person to represent the greater diversity. This sort of leadership appears to be small- minded, pandering, and offensive to the dignity of human kind.
Over the years I have witnessed a fickle response to the cry for fairness, for opportunity and diversity in various organizations, when an organization or work place does not represent the community where it operates. This is obvious when one sees a token employee who “represents” diversity. The likely culprit is an effort to comply with affirmative action. News organizations, colleges, and retailers are a good example of this phenomenon.
As a melting pot, the United States has absorbed wave after wave of immigrants from different countries. The majority of these new residents had to climb the ladder of status, as did disadvantaged people from many minority groups. Leaders in general had to realize that involving these populations could actually be an asset to the organizations. As society and organizations become more and more diverse, tokenism may be a (narrow) door towards more integration.
Looking at the five principles of ethical leadership from Penn State World Campus (2013) – respect, service, justice, honesty, and community – it may look that tokenism lacks respect for those minorities hired in very small numbers.
It all depends on how leadership interacts with those few minority workers. If they support them and help them advance, then the “service” principle would be satisfied.
It seems like an injustice that only few minority workers get hired, but if they are otherwise treated with fairness, they may prove as valuable members of the workforce and eventually open the door for more minority hires.
If leadership is biased and honest about it, it would hurt the minority employees. But over time, leadership attitude may change and adapt itself to the reality that it is in its own interest not to be biased.
As minorities are part of the community at large, leaders need to become aware of their concerns and address them (p. 9).
Tokenism has been occurring for far too long. It is hard to reconcile this pattern of leadership behavior with ethical leadership.
References
Penn State World Campus. (2014). Lesson 14: Ethics and Leadership. Retrieved from Psych 485: Leadership in Work Settings: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su14/psych485/002/content/14_lesson/printlesson.html