The Meritocracy Paradox: Where Talent Management Strategies Go Wrong and How to Fix Them

By Emilio J. Castilla (Columbia University Press, 2025). Organizations often hail meritocracy as a fair and efficient way to identify, advance, and reward talent. But efforts to create a level playing field can be held back by talent management systems that confer rewards based on individual performance evaluations. In practice, these merit-based systems "may actually reinforce or create advantages for certain groups," Castilla contends.