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

Emilio J. Castilla

Education, work, finance & impact

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

By Emilio J. Castilla, the NTU Professor of Management and professor of work and organization studies in the MIT Sloan School of Management

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.

From Summer 2026 recommended reading from MIT (MIT News). Cover image via Google Books.