Professional November 2016

FEATURE INSIGHT

How to build a meritocracy

Stephen Frost, of Frost Included, reveals what needs to be done to build a meritocracy

I n 1958, Michael Young coined the word ‘meritocracy’ to describe a system where people are appointed based on their (intellectual) talent (see http://bit. ly/2cWeZcY). In a 2001 article, criticising the Blair government, Young reflected, “It is good sense to appoint individual people to jobs on their merit. It is the opposite when those who are judged to have merit of a particular kind harden into a new social class without room in it for others” (see http://bit.ly/1yGYRjT). People towards the top of the tree are more likely to believe their organisation is already a meritocracy, which is often based on an egotistical analysis of how they got there. However, take a random poll from people at all levels in the same organisation and the result might be slightly different. True meritocracies don’t just happen. They need to be built. And building them is an imperfect science. Building meritocracies often meets resistance from people who think they are already the product of the meritocracy. They don’t want to upset the apple cart. Any intervention may therefore be perceived as a Stalinist intervention in an otherwise perfectly functioning labour market.

But to build a meritocracy we do need to upset the apple cart. Repeatedly. Disruptively. To build a meritocracy we have to first open up the supply of talent to raise standards through open competition. Then we need to increase demand for all talent, whatever it looks like, and subject our talent decisions to rigour and transparency. Here are five techniques you can adopt: ● Recruit from the widest possible pool – challenge your preconceived notion of what ‘talent’ looks like – Develop a strategic workforce plan to match your skills gaps with diverse talent pools. The more talent pools you fish in, the more competition for industry insiders and the better chance you have of avoiding suboptimal hiring. Similarly, scrap any barriers to entry such as nebulous job descriptions and restrictive working practices, and ensure you have an employee value proposition that speaks to the widest possible audience including diverse talent currently under-represented in your candidate pool. Consider setting up: a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants; a returners programme for those

who have left the workplace; and apprenticeships to capture new talent. Reach as far as you possibly can to find talent that might not otherwise compete with your existing talent supply pipelines. This is all about getting people to raise their game and not take any job for granted. Diversity is the enemy of mediocrity. ● Motivate all your people – people need to be able to see a career path – As a guideline, many companies will target two-thirds internal promotion (build) and one-third external hiring (buy). In reality, however, almost 50% of organisations are more dependent on hiring externally than developing their own people. This can be positive or negative for diversity but it can be demotivating for internal talent seeking advancement. A meritocracy requires that talented people can see a career path open to them. Champion diverse role models that have successfully navigated the system (without compromising their identity). Top-down promotion is about pulling talent through. Bottom-up development is principally concerned with creating an efficient labour market and building organisational capability and thus sustainability. Organisations need to make specific changes to their development interventions bottom-up in order to adopt an inclusive talent strategy. Doing so will help their staff to feel valued and

...all about getting people to raise their game and not take any job for granted

| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | November 2016 | Issue 25 26

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