Homophily: functional bias to the talent identification process?

Abstract

PurposeThis empirical study aims to analyse the talent spotters' perception of their tendency to be homophilic in the talent identification process and their stance on it. Besides, this article examines the type of homophily and the homophily attributes involved.Design/methodology/approachBased on a qualitative design, 37 middle and senior line managers, working for two Argentine conglomerates in six Latin American countries, participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews.FindingsHomophily was perceived by most of talent spotters, who judged it as natural, while it was not perceived by a small group of the interviewees. In addition, among those who recognized its presence, another group advocated the homophilic advantages, while a final one admitted the presence of homophily and its negative implications. In addition, a variety of homophily attributes were identified; most of them within the value category. We posit that if homophily attributes are, at the same time, components of high potential models, homophily will constitute a functional bias to the talent identification process.Originality/valueThis is the first study that explores the talent spotters' perception of their homophily bias as well as the diversity of homophily attributes present in the talent identification process. This research highlights the relevance of the homophily attributes' analysis, taking into account its alignment to the potential model in order to improve the talent identification process.

Bias among managers: Its prevalence across a decade and comparison across occupations

“…People from minoritized and subjugated groups have poorer work experiences and fewer opportunities for advancement than do their peers, and biased decision making among organizational leaders potentially contributes to these patterns (Riach, 2009;Foley and Williamson, 2018;Cunningham, 2019;Golik and Blanco, 2022;Hardy et al, 2022). The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the explicit biases and implicit biases among people in management occupations, and (b) compare Values represent estimated marginal means of standardized bias variables, controlling for the percent of White respondents, percent of women respondents, and year.…”

“…One of the more common explanations for these patterns is bias among people making hiring decisions and managing employees (Riach, 2009;Foley and Williamson, 2018;Cunningham, 2019;Golik and Blanco, 2022;Hardy et al, 2022). For example, within the US, White, able-bodied, heterosexual men are frequently depicted as the norm for who a leader is and should be (Rosette et al, 2008;de Cristofaro et al, 2020;Fitzsimmons and Callan, 2020;Pellegrini et al, 2020;Salvati et al, 2021); thus, when choosing among potential candidates, decision makers might draw on these stereotypes to inform their decisions.…”

Talent identification: line managers’ perceptions of their own requirements as talent spotters

“…In spite of its relevance and the poor performance of line managers in the process, talent spotters' attributes have been scarcely explored in empirical studies (Blanco & Golik, 2021). To our knowledge, García-Carbonell et al, (2015) analysed how the ability to identify talent in senior teams is conditioned by their cognitive abilities and values, and Golik and Blanco (2022) examined line managers' tendency to be homophilic in the TI process. Even when these studies add to the knowledge about line managers as talent spotters, they do not address the individual requirements to execute this process effectively, considering the talent spotters' point of view.…”