101 Business Ideas That Will Change the Way You Work

IDEA #88

The paradox of meritocracy – how doing right can lead to wrong

Companies that profess strong meritocratic values may – perversely – end up discriminating against women.

What you need to know

The social changes that have taken place in the 50-plus years since the British sociologist Michael Young satirically coined the term ‘meritocracy’ have led to values such as ‘equality and diversity’ becoming firmly embedded – in rhetoric at least – in most business environments. However, despite a plethora of legal and commercial reforms outlawing workplace discrimination on the grounds of gender, for example, there remains a substantial ...