Have you also encountered different versions of this declaration: “In our company we hire and promote based on merit”?

Turns out the very wish of promoting #meritocracy as the organization value, might be fostering the “paradox of meritocracy” effect, breeding inequalities within the workplace.

Advocates of meritocracy stress that in true meritocratic systems everyone has an equal chance to advance regardless of their #gender, race, class, or other non-merit factors.

Most believe that meritocracy is not only the way the system 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 work but also the way the system 𝘋𝘖𝘌𝘚 work.

In reality #workplace inequalities persist, even with adoption of merit-based pay programs (like pay-for-skill and pay-for-performance reward systems) and other DEI initiatives.

The main findings of three studies* by Emilio J. Castilla and Stephen Benard showed that when an organization is explicitly presented as meritocratic, managers favor a man employee over an equally qualified woman employee by awarding him a larger monetary reward.

The study suggests that organizations promoting meritocracy as a cultural value can lead to unintended behaviors, in part by triggering managers' stereotypes when making decisions.

Why does it happen?

Some other studies on cognitive #bias and stereotyping have found that in contexts in which people are led to feel that they are unbiased, fair, or objective, they are more likely to then behave in biased ways.

Have a look at the carrousel for more details.

What are your thoughts about the findings?

*Source: The Paradox of Meritocracy in Organizations, Emilio J. Castilla, Stephen Benard
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