A01=Emilio J. Castilla
Author_Emilio J. Castilla
Category=JHB
Category=KJ
Category=KJMV2
Category=KJU
compensation
demographics
demography
diversity
employment
eq_bestseller
eq_business-finance-law
eq_isMigrated=1
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eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
equal opportunity
equity
equity and inclusion
fairness
hiring
human resource management
human resources
inclusion
leadership
management
organization studies
organizations
performance evaluations
promotion
recruitment
social barriers
social inequality
structural bias
talent systems
transparency
workplace
Product details
- ISBN 9780231208420
- Dimensions: 156 x 235mm
- Publication Date: 02 Sep 2025
- Publisher: Columbia University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Gold Winner, 2026 Nautilus Book Award in Business and Leadership
Winner, Bronze Medal, 2026 Axiom Business Book Awards in the category of Human Resources / Employee Training
Shortlisted, 2025 Talent Award, Thinkers50
Meritocracy—the idea that individuals should be rewarded based on their talent and hard work—is one of the most widely celebrated ideals in education, business, and government. It shapes how organizations recruit, evaluate, and promote, promising a fair system where the best rise to the top. But meritocracy has increasingly come under criticism for deepening inequality and reinforcing bias. How did a once-progressive ideal meant to level the playing field end up contributing to unfairness and privilege? What happens when organizations treat merit as their guiding principle without questioning how it’s defined or applied? Most importantly, how can today’s leaders recognize and fix what’s gone wrong?
In The Meritocracy Paradox, Emilio J. Castilla offers timely new answers to these fundamental questions. He analyzes the structure and culture of meritocracy inside organizations, providing real-world examples—from hiring and merit-based bonuses in companies to admissions decisions at elite universities—to show how personal biases and social barriers can undermine the values and outcomes these systems are meant to uphold. Castilla provides practical, research-backed frameworks to help organizations achieve true fairness and opportunity for all. Drawing on successful data-based interventions, he presents concrete strategies for improving recruitment, selection, evaluation, promotion, and compensation processes—revealing how motivated leaders can identify and correct shortcomings with cost-effective, targeted solutions that deliver proven results.
The Meritocracy Paradox is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand and improve the intersection of merit, fairness, and equal opportunity in organizations.
Winner, Bronze Medal, 2026 Axiom Business Book Awards in the category of Human Resources / Employee Training
Shortlisted, 2025 Talent Award, Thinkers50
Meritocracy—the idea that individuals should be rewarded based on their talent and hard work—is one of the most widely celebrated ideals in education, business, and government. It shapes how organizations recruit, evaluate, and promote, promising a fair system where the best rise to the top. But meritocracy has increasingly come under criticism for deepening inequality and reinforcing bias. How did a once-progressive ideal meant to level the playing field end up contributing to unfairness and privilege? What happens when organizations treat merit as their guiding principle without questioning how it’s defined or applied? Most importantly, how can today’s leaders recognize and fix what’s gone wrong?
In The Meritocracy Paradox, Emilio J. Castilla offers timely new answers to these fundamental questions. He analyzes the structure and culture of meritocracy inside organizations, providing real-world examples—from hiring and merit-based bonuses in companies to admissions decisions at elite universities—to show how personal biases and social barriers can undermine the values and outcomes these systems are meant to uphold. Castilla provides practical, research-backed frameworks to help organizations achieve true fairness and opportunity for all. Drawing on successful data-based interventions, he presents concrete strategies for improving recruitment, selection, evaluation, promotion, and compensation processes—revealing how motivated leaders can identify and correct shortcomings with cost-effective, targeted solutions that deliver proven results.
The Meritocracy Paradox is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand and improve the intersection of merit, fairness, and equal opportunity in organizations.
Emilio J. Castilla is the NTU Professor of Management and a professor of work and organization studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is codirector of the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research. Castilla’s research focuses on organizations, networks, and workplace inequality, with a particular emphasis on the social dynamics of work and employment.
