How to manage promotion decisions effectively

Abstract

Looks at promotion as a method of recognition and reward and considers the pitfalls of selection and the potential for discrimination allegations. Outlines several promotion systems adopted by many business organizations and their respective merits. Cites the need for performance evaluation and the methods which could be used. Provides recommendations for prompt, fair and equitable promotion and the need for effective communication and feedback to employees.

Reactions to the Fairness of Promotion Methods: Procedural justice and job satisfaction

“…Competence assessment methods generate more positive reactions in applicants because they perceive them as being closely related with their real performance (Becton et al, ), and applicants have the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and skills for promotion, which is one of the fair procedural rules proposed by Gilliland (). On the other hand, most organizations use training and experience evaluations (Gunawan & Kleiner, ) for various reasons: they are easy to collect because they are part of the personnel records already on their archives; they are available to employees, supervisors, and managers; trade unions see them as a rational reward on the basis of organizational loyalty; and older workers think they are an intrinsic part of individual trajectories within the organization. Besides this, they are also apparently reliable and objective measures, and have even been seen as the least invasive of privacy (Stone‐Romero, Stone, & Hyatt, ).…”

“…The first is important as a well‐known source of individual differences, and investigation on gender in recent years has been boosted by social and legal concerns for women at work. Indeed, promotion itself is a major issue in terms of gender discrimination (Gunawan & Kleiner, ). Gender is one of the influential variables which have been most investigated (Lee, Pillutla, & Law, ), and a large number of differences have been shown to exist between women and men.…”