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1. Meet with the DHS Office of Diversity and Inclusion Point-of-Contact for the FEORP to determine if any studies have been completed to address the literature gap in the FEORP.

2. Continue to conduct research on listed literature streams and build out the annotated bibliography.

3. Identify the sample size and group for interview questions.

4. Draft interview questions.

5. Identify the sample size and group to conduct surveys.

5. Draft survey questions.

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Exploring the Experiences and Successes of Women Leaders in Homeland Security

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Exploring the Experiences and Successes of Women Leaders in Homeland Security

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Center for Homeland Defense and Security Naval Postgraduate School

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Thesis Series: Exploring the Experiences and Successes of Women Leaders in Homeland Security

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Thesis Series: The Road Less Traveled: Exploring the Experiences and Successes of Women Leaders in Homeland Security Jonna West [14 May 2013] Today, women constitute over 50% of the United States' population. Yet, women are still a minority in many workforce fields, including homeland security.

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Women: Unequal Standards, Family Responsibilities Barriers to Executive Roles“Why Aren't More Women in Top Business Positions?”

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Women: Unequal Standards, Family Responsibilities Barriers to Executive Roles“Why Aren't More Women in Top Business Positions?”

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                                 Literature Concept Map

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                                 Literature Concept Map

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The literature includes a historical overview of women in the workplace, an overview of the Department of Homeland Security and factors that may influence the underrepresentation of minority women within the Senior Executive Service.

For this research study, identified focal points are: (a) minority women barriers and effects, (b) societal influences, and (c) the organizational culture.

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                          Purpose of Research

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                          Purpose of Research

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The intent of the research study is to explore the reasons for the perceived glass ceiling minority women face in relation to the underrepresentation of minority women in senior executive leadership positions in the Department of Homeland Security.

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                                                            References

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                                                            References

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American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association (6th Ed.). Washington, DC.

Elmer, Vickie. Women in Top Management (2015). Retrieved from
http://businessresearcher.sagepub.com/sbr-1645-95535-2666211/20150427/women-in-top-
management

Kohli, Jitinder, Gans, John. and James Hairston. (2011). A better, more diverse Senior Executive

Service. Report by the Center for American Progress. Retrieved December 8, 2012 from:   http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2011/09/pdf/ses_paper.pdf

Kopp, E. (2011). White House orders increase in diversity hiring. Retrieved from

https://federalnewsradio.com/opm/2011/08/white-house-orders-increase-in-diversity-hiring/

Machi, L. A., & McEvoy, B. T. (2016). The literature review: Six steps to success (3rd Ed.).

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Riccucci, Norma M. (2009). The Pursuit of Social Equity in the Federal Government: A Road

Less Traveled? Public Administration Review, 69, 373-382. Retrieved from

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2009.01984.x/full

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 2016 Fiscal Year Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment         Program Accomplishment Report. Retrieved from
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/FY16_DHS_FEORPReport.pdf

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                                                               Research Topic Description

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                                                               Research Topic Description

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Senior executive staff (SES) positions in the U.S. federal government are dominated by white men. Over a 22-year period, the representation of minority women has marginally increased in the SES ranks (Riccucci). The U.S. Census Bureau reported by 2050, a defined racial or ethnic majority will no longer exist in the United States, as fifty-four percent of the population will comprise of people of color. As the nation becomes more diverse, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will need to identify methods to increase diversity among its senior leaders. The intent of the research study is to examine the perceived barriers minority women face in relation to the underrepresentation of minority women in senior executive service positions.

DHS reported in its 2016 Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP) Accomplishment Report an under representation of minority women participants in its SES Career Development Program (CDP). In the yearly comparative analyses, the representation rate for women decreased from 32.5% in the application stage to 23.4% in being selected. There was a parallel trend for Black/African Americans and Asian Americans, as their representation rates decreased from the application to the selection stage, 30.2% to 8.5% and 7.3% to 4.3%, which results in the elicit need for this study.

Minority women continue to encounter internal and external barriers with career progression to secure senior executive level positions in the federal government. The U.S. Government Accountability Office shared a report in 2009, identifying racial and ethnic disparities across Senior Executive Service (SES) positions in the Federal government that currently exist (Riccucci). If the Agency does not address this phenomenon, it runs the risk of being noncompliant with the Executive Order 13583; not fully addressing disparities in the placement of minority women to senior executive leadership.

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In compliance to Executive Order 13583, DHS submitted the Fiscal Year 2016 Department of Homeland Security Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP) Accomplishment Report which indicated the representation of the SES Career Development Program (CDP) applicant pool by various minority groups of those who provided self-reported identifiable information. In the yearly comparative analyses, the representation rate for women decreased from 32.5% in the application stage to 23.4% in being selected into the SES/CDP. There was a parallel trend for Black/African Americans and Asian Americans, as their representation rates also decreased from the application to the selection stage, 30.2% to 8.5% and 7.3% to 4.3%,  which results in the elicit the need for further analysis.

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                                     Research Questions

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                                     Research Questions

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R1) What factors positively impact minority women in the DHS to achieve executive leadership positions?
R2) What barriers impede the promotion of minority women in the DHS to executive leadership positions?
R3) What strategies can the DHS use to increase and accelerate the number of minority women in executive leadership positions?

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Initial Literature Concept Map Overview 

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Initial Literature Concept Map Overview 

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                                                                          Problem Statement

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                                                                          Problem Statement

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In the 21st century, minority women continue to encounter internal and external barriers with their career progression to senior executive level positions in the federal government. The U.S. Government Accountability Office shared a report in 2009, identifying racial and ethnic disparities across Senior Executive Service (SES) positions in the Federal government which  remain today (Riccucci). If the U.S. Department of Homeland Security does not analyze this phenomenon within its organization, it runs the risk of being non-compliant of the Executive Order 13583; not fully addressing disparities in the placement of minority women to senior executive leadership.

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                                      Key Terms & Definitions

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                                      Key Terms & Definitions

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Discrimination: The way an individual behaves towards another person or group as a result of their prejudiced view. This behavior is usually negative, but could also be positive.
Executive Order 13583: An executive order mandated during the Obama Administration to ensure a government-wide strategic plan to promote diversity and inclusion as a vital piece in their human resources strategies (Kopp).
Glass ceiling: An intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions within an organization.
Glass walls: Women to advance only in a limited number of functional fields within an organization. This keeps women  pigeon-holed in certain types of jobs, departments, or occupations within agencies that tend to be less desirable.

Glass cliff: An opportunity a woman may take or be promoted into that puts her in a high-risk position of facing a professional disaster if she fails.
Hour-Glass Ceiling: A time-based hindrance to career enhancement, often faced by working mothers.
MD-715: Policy guidance which the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides to federal agencies for their use in establishing and maintaining effective programs of equal employment opportunity under Section 717 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Minorities: Women of racial, ethnic, religious, or social subdivision of a society that is subordinate to the dominant group in any given arena.
Senior Executive Service (SES): A position classification in the civil service of the United States federal government.
Senior Executive Service Career Development Program (SES/CDP): Program designed to provide SES candidates with Government-wide leadership challenges, interactions with senior employees outside their department and/or agency, inter-agency training experiences, executive level development assignments, and mentoring.
Stereotype: Generalized set of ideas we have about one another.