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“Meritocracy” in the company.

Is the “MERITOCRACY” incorporated into the DNA of the Spanish company?

 My friend Gloria, Key Account Manager (KAM) for 10 years in a Spanish multinational, has brilliant results publicly recognized by management. When the company issued an "open position" for the international coordination of large accounts, Gloria nominated her overcoming the various tests and interviews to the point of receiving the award verbally. However, two weeks after the position was officially announced for another person who was not on the three finalists. It seems clear that, in this case, the "dedocracia" replaced the "meritocracy”.

Glory, divorced and childless, he considered his professional work as a pinnacle of professional aspirations and achievements, has been greatly affected by this event. Actions of this nature not only have a personal impact, both produce a toxic effect on employee motivation and social climate of the company, mitigating the spirit of self-.

Even with an HR department and being a procedure of information on open positions and accepting internal applications, some compromise of a TOP finally prevailed.

Very probably all know or have experienced similar stories, which in Spanish companies and many European companies are quite common. And the smaller the company are more arbitrary decisions regarding staff.

In this regard business culture and more specifically Anglo American is quite different. The paradigm of the American dream whereby equal opportunities can scale high positions and fortunes, results in an enhancement of the "meritocracy” in the company.

As a witness to the culture General Electric (GE), basically followed in other large U.S. corporations (IBM, Citibank, etc.), it must be recognized that the “meritocracy” is more enhanced in these companies in the European.

Of course in GE also need someone to support you and to bid for you, but there are three things hard to sneak in all recruitment or promotion:

a)Transparency in the process visibility for the entire Company Profile of vacant or newly created.

b)Competition proven by facts and quantifiable data.

c)Acceptance of the candidate not only by the head of HR but also for each and every one of the owners of functions that are interrelated with the function to take.

This usually takes a long time. I remember my joining GE was supported by people who knew me level for years because of my position in another company in the sector. Yet the decision taken 3 months and had to overcome three interviews with three directors of three different nationalities. Words had to be enforced) + b) + c).

The point) GE is embodied in the existence on the web site "GE Careers" which publishes global all open positions and where candidates can apply who wish on equal terms and without restriction based on sex, ethnicity, religion, political leanings, sexual disabilities do not affect the position applied. In GE multiculturalism and diversity are values, not only enunciated as has become politically correct, real and widely applied in practice. In my unit located in Madrid, the technology department consists of men and women from four continents united by a common language, English.

The point b) is a standard recommendation for those who write their CV. But it becomes even more value in U.S. culture where everything, absolutely everything, measured in dollars.

The point c) impositions difficult / HR on nominations interested, as referred to in the beginning of this chapter.

So far more or less similar to what is common in many large companies, continuous assessment but not so common in other companies.

For if the joining GE is valuable, it is nevertheless remaining in the Company.

Each year that exceed the EMS process (Employment Management System) , low internal evaluation system in the intranet workflow format whereby each end of December the annual management employees evaluate themselves with facts and quantifiable data. During the first quarter of next year the higher functional (GE customary chiefs have several matrix) discussed with each of your team such self and finally each employee receives the final assessment of his boss, which must be accepted and signed electronically or rebutted if it would lead to. Additionally the process requires the definition of at least 3 quantifiable targets to meet in the coming year, celebrated the end of the second semester a new monitoring session mentioned 3 goals with the head in the same way explained.

All this is written and filed on the intranet, year after year. This is the real and true CV of GE employees. For any application for promotion requested by the employee or by his superiors, This CV is to be analyzed.

But GE does not pay much attention to the feelings. Jack Welch is credited with the famous system 20/70/10, according to which the ideal is to promote the 20% outstanding, maintain 70% remarkable and dispense or relocate to 10% remaining. Note that not all included in that 10% necessarily have a low yield, simply are not as remarkable as the rest. This assessment sounds like something cruel enunciated, but my experience is that the application is flexible and is not enforced strictly. It is rather a rule to situations of need, although it is true that domestic competition moves in pure american way of life.

As is known there are panaceas, but having rooted in the DNA of the company these procedures discourage meritocracy might violate seeking promotion to the top without exclusions subjective.

Yet it is not easy to eradicate human behaviors common in certain middle management employees who surround themselves with lackluster order not to endanger their position, or blocking the race team members displaying selfishness. One possible solution to these practices in the company is to establish a tool for evaluating any employee 360 ​​can implement in order to obtain a more objective assessment of its role.

I assume these procedures is not easy in the Latino culture. But if I were the President of my company would impose the Management implement professional and objective implementation of procedures for raise the "meritocracy” category priority value to the company.

This is to avoid cases like my friend Gloria.

More on this topic because there plots that deserve special attention, the participation of women in the Management, the “meritocracy” on integration after mergers or acquisitions, etc..

Self-reflection

  • Does your company procedures to measure the "meritocracy”?
  • Is the current “meritocracy” through ongoing evaluation and control?
  • Tell us if you know or some have suffered for or against the "meritocracy”.

RECOMMENDED TOPICS

  • If we get into the DNA of the Spanish company “meritocracy” is a priority value will be achieved from the base focus the importance of the formation. In this respect the parody "child studies" of Spanish humorist Jose Mota is illustrative. See the attached video.

 

  • There are consulting firms that publish a ranking of the most prominent companies in primary and secondary benefits for employees. CRF Institute – Top Employers Spain is an example that can be found on the link below

http://www.topemployers.es/employers/Home.aspx


One Response to “Meritocracy” in the company.

  1. Gustavo says:

    Dear Rafa,

    Meritocracy involves many factors, among which may be titles, knowledge, experience, age, sex, physical state, mood, leadership, people skills, contacts, etc.…
    All these factors have a value that gives the contracting company and we can look more or less fair, in the case of your friend Gloria, the value “contacts” weighed more than experience or knowledge, and however much we even have a merit more contacts, which may be evaluated more or less depends on the circumstances.
    Take some examples:
    – A person whose family has a lot of money will have preference for bank office manager over others with more dedication or conomientos.
    – A good-looking person will have preference over another ugly.
    – It depends on the company's preference for a computer engineer PROFESSIONALS untitled informatic or vice versa depending on your policy.
    Definitely let you know that talk of merit meritocracy, the merits are values ​​that decides the person contracting and can vary so much that it makes little difference to the dedocracia meritocracy.
    There lately and I have one example companies that publish lists with credits value upon completion. These credits become Remuneration. Maybe it's the only case I know meritocracy valid.

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