To climb the ladder in corporate America, minorities have always had to learn to shift between two worlds — that of the mostly white-male business culture, and their own.

Minority business leaders and diversity experts say this fluid back-and-forth movement allows minorities to think outside their cultural norms and more clearly understand how others see the world.

And in an ironic turn, they say, this ability — born of necessity — could be the key to an elusive goal for minorities — finally breaking the corporate glass ceiling, especially in the upper ranks.

In the global economy, companies are increasingly looking for leaders who can manage and communicate across cultures, who can shift from one world view to another. And as this skill set becomes more highly valued, greater numbers of minority executives — many of whom have this skill — could be promoted to the highest corporate levels, business leaders and diversity experts say.

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