By Lucy-Claire Saunders

Visible minority managers, professionals and executives believe they need to "Canadianize" themselves in order to get ahead, according to a startling study released Wednesday.

"Studied participants spontaneously told us they felt they need to Canadianize themselves in order for them to fit in with Canadian organizations," says study author, Katherine Giscombe. "This is not a term we made up. This is something visible minorities told us directly."

Although difficult to define, Giscombe says that the term "to Canadianize" refers to things like looking, sounding and dressing like a white Canadian while letting go of one’s original culture.

Of course, this explanation comes with a whole gambit of problems, including what ‘Canadian’ actually means, Giscombe said. However, she added, the very fact that the study's subjects volunteered the information highlights how some visible minorities feel excluded from a country that prides itself on multiculturalism.

And for some, even adopting Canadian culture as their own may never be enough, according to the study.

"A visible minority could Canadianize him or herself but that might not necessarily be enough to be successful," said Giscombe. "Canadianization does not necessarily lead to success."

The study, Career Advancement in Corporate Canada: A Focus on Visible Minorities - Workplace Fit and Stereotyping, is the fourth in a series conducted by Catalyst, a nonprofit research group based in Toronto. It was funded by the Royal Bank of Canada as well as Deloitte and Touche LLP, IBM Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

Based on extensive surveys and 19 focus groups held across the country, the study found wide variations in how East and South Asians view themselves at their job.

While minorities expressed that their chances for success depended on how Canadian they were, others felt like they belonged and expressed comfort with how they fit in within Canadian business organizations.

Rebecca Lai, a senior audit manager at RBC who moved to Canada 16 years ago from Hong Kong, says she has "Canadianized" herself and does not resent it.

"I came here by my own choice," she says. "It does not mean I have to lose parts of my original culture. In fact, the Canadian government has done a good job embracing everyone in a melting pot."

Despite their mantra for cultural diversity and openness, Canadian institutions and businesses still foster breeding grounds for stereotypes that act as invisible barriers for visible minorities who want to feel Canadian.

The study found that some East Asians felt they were seen as "hard working but not sociable."

While Lai has moved up the RBC corporate ladder, overseeing a growing team and earning promotions along the way, she says that like those interviewed in the study, she has observed negative stereotypes of Asians.

"It is disappointing that they still exist but in my case I would think what can I do to change those stereotypes because they are just perceptions," she says. "They're not true."

While each individual has a responsibility to learn about coworkers' various cultures and understand the complex nature of what "Canadian" means, every business has to take the initiative, said Giscombe.

"Canadian organizations have made strides," she said. "But they need to work a little harder to create fully inclusive organizations."