DOCTORAL RESEARCH · 2026
The Research Behind the Work
Original qualitative research on how East Asian American women in senior leadership roles build leadership confidence in organizations that were not designed with them in mind, and what their experience reveals about leadership development for everyone.
THE STUDY
What this research explored
Leadership confidence does not develop the same way for everyone. For decades, most of what we know about how leaders build self-efficacy has come from research that treated Western, individualistic, and often male leadership norms as the default. This study asked what happens when the people you are studying do not fit that default.
Through in-depth interviews with nine first- and second-generation East Asian American women in senior leadership roles across multiple industries, this research explored how these leaders described their own leadership confidence, how it developed over time, and what cultural and generational factors shaped that process.
The study was grounded in Bandura's social cognitive theory and leadership self-efficacy research, and used a qualitative inquiry approach specifically because the most important questions here could not be answered with a survey or a scale. These women's experiences needed to be heard, not measured.
WHAT WE FOUND
Three findings that challenge the standard playbook
FINDING 01
Confidence was built through responsibility and persistence, not early validation
These women did not develop leadership confidence because someone recognized them early or gave them opportunities based on visible potential. Confidence developed gradually through being given responsibility, navigating difficulties, and persisting in environments that often questioned their authority. The conditions around them mattered enormously. External validation, when it came at all, came late.
FINDING 02
Leadership was relational, ethical, and grounded, but often went unseen
Participants described leadership rooted in relational influence, ethical responsibility, and collective orientation rather than self-promotion or visibility. These are not soft skills. They are deeply effective leadership behaviors. Yet they were frequently overlooked or undervalued in organizations that measured leadership by assertiveness, charisma, and how loudly someone occupied a room.
FINDING 03
Confidence was sustained internally despite limited external recognition
Perhaps the most striking finding was this: these women maintained their leadership confidence even when organizations failed to affirm it. That resilience was built through cultural identity, intergenerational meaning-making, and an internal understanding of what leadership actually required. The implication is that the barrier was never the people. It was what the organization was and was not built to see.
WHY IT MATTERS
What this means for organizations and leaders
Every finding points directly to something organizations are getting wrong right now in how they identify, develop, and support leaders.
Implications for practice
Leadership development programs that rely on visibility, assertiveness, and self-promotion as proxies for leadership potential are systematically missing strong leaders.
Confidence is context-dependent. Organizations that want more confident leaders need to examine whether they are creating environments that foster confidence.
Grouping Asian Americans together in diversity and inclusion efforts obscures the distinct experiences of East Asian women, whose leadership barriers are specific, documented, and addressable.
Relational, ethical, and collective leadership styles are not cultural anomalies. They are effective and evidence-based. Organizations that only reward assertive visibility are leaving leadership quality on the table.
Mentorship and sponsorship matter most when they are culturally attuned, not one-size-fits-all. A mentor who does not understand the cultural context is limited in what they can offer.
THE FULL STUDY
Read the complete dissertation
The full study is available for those who want to go deeper into the methodology, literature review, and complete findings. It is peer-reviewed doctoral research completed at Capella University in March 2026.
Title: Exploring Leadership Self-Efficacy in First- and Second-Generation East Asian American Women
Robin S. Atkins, Ph.D. · Capella University · March 2026 · ProQuest Dissertations
Let’s talk about what this means for your organization
If this research raises questions about how your organization develops and supports leaders, that conversation is worth having.
“Leadership confidence does not develop in a vacuum. It develops inside systems that either build it or quietly destroy it.”