Why Merit Based Hiring Doesn't Always Work....

Why Merit Based Hiring Doesn't Always Work....

All we have to do is look at the Data, not your feelings, opinions or any other justifications you come up with.

For a point of reference we will use the Fortune 500 CEO Position.

Let first get some common sense stuff out the way.

Being a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company takes great skill, knowledge, capacity to learn quickly, adapt to change, handle pressure and make million and billion dollar decisions. Have the experience and fortitude to handle the job. This calls for a unique and special person.

So not just anybody can be a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. That's CLEAR!

With that being said, let's define Merit Based Hiring:

"Hiring based on merit is a process that evaluates job candidates based on their skills, experience, and qualifications."

Let's keep in mind, "Skills, experience and qualifications."

Data on Fortune 500 CEOs:

*In 1980, all Fortune 500 CEOs were white men.

*In 2000, 96.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs were white men.

*In 2020, 85.8% of Fortune 500 CEOs were white men.

Are we to ASSUME, for a period of over 50 years, prior to 1980, there were NO other people other than white males that had the...

Skills, experience and qualifications to become CEO of a Fortune 500 Company.

If you BELIEVE that, stop reading right now, because you are choosing to be ignorant. Which means lacking knowledge of the facts.

In the history of the Fortune 500 CEOs, there have been 19 Black, 55 Asian, 9 Latinos, and 53 women. Of those 53 women, less 20 have been minority.

Are we to ASSUME there haven't been more than 130 non-white males that possessed the...

Skills, experience and qualifications."

Within Corporate America, we have this thing called "Pipeline" which means, what people are on the radar for advancement.

This process starts with hiring. If minorities are not even being hired, how can they enter the pipeline.

This leads us back to Merit Based Hiring....

At the root of hiring is "Personal Bias."

Ever heard the phrase "I got a good feeling" about this person. That's rooted in bias.

Let's define bias...

"prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair."

Bias doesn't have to always be bad, but usually it will blur our decision making.

Here's an example:

You are walking down the street and you see a pitbull walking down the street. What's your next move? It's based on your knowledge, experience and overall reception toward dogs. That's how your bias is created.

Simply put, we lean toward what we are comfortable with and lean away from what we are not comfortable with or fear.

Diversity, equity and inclusion was implemented to interrupt our personal bias.

Unless a person is INTENTIONAL about not being guided by their biases, they need help. That's what DEI is, help.

Another example....

A hiring manager looks at their last 5 hires. They interviewed 20 well diverse qualified individuals. They hired 5, and all five were similar. The 5 were all 6ft blonde males.

That hiring manager has a bias. Doesn't mean they are racist or prejudice. It means they have a blind spot.

Metrics and data will help identify that bias and help that hiring manager be more aware next time they interview.

I would love to live in a world where Merit Based Hiring was the norm.

Unfortunately, the DATA doesn't support that.

I challenge any CEO to look at the DATA and ask themselves, does the DATA say we can do away with DEI. Does the DATA say we don't need help in this area.

If you are a CEO, HR Professional, Training and Development Professional that wants to

discuss this topic more. Email our offices at [email protected]