Toward a Frictionless Meritocracy of Talent

In their ideal state companies function as a frictionless meritocracy of talent. Nothing impedes the achievement of the best employees; all employees experience success solely dependent on their full and unfettered engagement with their roles. 

Diversity and inclusion efforts aim to create a frictionless meritocracy by eliminating profoundly held institutional biases. They seek to eradicate irrational “normal”s – the human equivalent of the superstitions that keep American buildings of more than 12 stories from ever having a 13th floor. We are so used to the elevator going from 12 to 14 that we do not give it a second thought; similarly, many organizations hold certain beliefs so deeply that they do not even realize how strongly bias is playing a role in decision-making. Diversity and inclusion efforts accordingly seek to root out the irrational beliefs that stand between the current state and truly meritocratic functioning. 

But these efforts are not enough. It’s not enough simply to have a wide array of people in the room – or to tell them they should feel at home in the organization – employees have to truly believe that they are part of the culture. Beyond diversity and inclusion, the third key ingredient is belonging.  

Belonging is a scary idea for organizations, because it’s about creating an authentic feeling in their employees, not just about sending the right messages from the top. The messages have to be received, understood, and internalized by the talent currently at greatest risk of disengagement. That’s a tall order. 

After all, from the playground onwards human beings are very perceptive about when they are not welcome. No matter what an organization says, employees from traditionally excluded groups often feel a lingering sense of unease, something short of the feeling of "I am welcome to bring my whole self to work". People in "out groups" worry about "sticking out"... people among the status quo worry about being accused of bias. Simply put, talent feels like talent doesn't belong. 

A vicious cycle results. If there is a perception that the organization is less than a frictionless meritocracy of talent, true talent doesn't want to be there. Camaraderie and team performance languish as key players withdraw from the equation - no one wants to be subjected to a system that selectively shuns people based on some irrational, unjustifiable stigmatization.

What truly solves for friction is the institutionalization of belonging.

 We know creating a sense of belonging is tough. So what can organizations do? There is no easy, canned solution. But here are a few good starting places:

• Audit your mixed messages. It’s all too easy for large, complex organizations to have the best of intentions regarding D&I and yet send countervailing messages on a daily basis. Many companies promote the inclusion of working mothers but promulgate guilt among those who trade off facetime to keep their childcare schedules; others stress ethnic diversity while recruiting exclusively at universities whose student bodies are dreadfully lacking in diversity. The rhetoric in many cases is “we can’t afford to lower the bar/change our standards.” When this happens, a sense of belonging is meaningfully eroded – who wants to be categorized as somehow being “less?” Moreover, the gap between word and action is more alienating than if there had been no inclusive words at all. Organizations that can show employees how their actions have been substantially altered can better foster a sense of belonging. 
• Make active and attentive listening your weapon of choice. There are many useful instruments that organizations may employ on their D&I journey – demographic analysis or engagement surveys, for instance. However, to go from inclusion to belonging, the most powerful tool of all is often creating an authentic dialogue between members of traditionally excluded groups and the larger community. D&I efforts can be self-selectingly populated with members of excluded groups – creating an unpleasant “preaching to the choir” or further isolating effect. Organizations seeking a true “a-ha moment” should facilitate an open and frank conversation about the nature of the experience of excluded groups – fully including “everyone else” in the dialogue. Employees should be encouraged to be “observant not brilliant” – focus on taking in the details of what others are articulating rather than (as is too easy in a short-attention-span world) just trying to jump to solutions. 
• Cultivate empathy. At the heart of a sense of belonging is the notion of shared experience- the notion that we are all going through the same things and working toward a common goal. Empathy is the fuel for this machine. But empathy (especially toward excluded groups) does not come naturally to everyone, and organizations must take a strong hand in engendering an empathic culture. Creating space where employees purposefully step out of their own shoes and into the shoes of someone whose experience is different from their own is a crucial first step. Top management should model this behavior and showcase their own empathic learning, to the extent that this is possible. Empathy can be a struggle for some, but despite this it remains an absolutely essential goal for all. 

And remember, after all, that for all of this talk of included and excluded groups, as the world grows more diverse eventually everyone will be outside of the status quo. The end game is not to achieve diversity, inclusion, or a sense of belonging – these are means to an end, that end being optimal business results amid a global war for talent. No business can afford to perform less-than-optimally. The frictionless meritocracy of talent is truly the only sustainable option.