""The more managers believe their organization is a meritocracy, the more likely they be to display the very biases they seek to prevent." That is the conclusion reached by Emilio J. Castilla, Professor at MIT;s Sloan School of Management and Co-Director of the MIT Institute of Work & Employment, based on his extensive research of meritocracy in the workplace."
"As the late expert in organizational behavior Chris Argyris observed, many companies "espouse" meritocracy. They provide time and money to train hiring managers about the dangers of unconscious bias and the importance of focusing on merit. Nevertheless, as Castilla's research shows, "in use" behavior in administering rewards remains biased against employees who are not male Caucasians. Companies that are the most vocal about hiring and promotion based on job-related performance violate their espoused ideals."
Evidence shows organizations asserting merit-based hiring often make biased reward and promotion decisions that favor male Caucasians despite stated commitments. Meritocracy originally aimed to base selection on job-relevant performance rather than inherited advantage or identity. Manager training on unconscious bias and stated merit-based policies frequently fail to prevent biased in-use behavior. Cognitive structures create a gap between espoused values and actual decisions. Improved data collection and application of artificial intelligence can increase accountability by matching policies to actions. Practical AI-driven and structural approaches can help smaller companies reduce the meritocracy paradox and bias in personnel decisions.
Read at Psychology Today
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