In my consulting practice, I spend a great deal of time talking with senior level executives about their organization's human resource practices. One theme I hear consistently is that their organizations are "true" meritocracies where the "gifted" rise to the top as a result of a fair process. The irony is that women, blacks and people of color in those same companies often tell me that the environment is far from fair to them. They feel that developmental opportunities and promotions are not based on merit, but are reserved for those who play the game; special treatment is given to a few at the expense of others.
This contradiction in perceptions caused me to ask two questions. "Do most companies truly have a meritocracy?" and even more fundamentally, "Is it in the best interests of an organization to strive for a system of meritocracy?" I would argue that the answer to both questions is "no."
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