The fallacy of thinking that if we fairly evaluate each individual, we will ultimately end up with a fair evaluation of the whole team.
Promotion inequity – promotion processes that result in underrepresented groups (URGs) being left behind – comes up often in my line of work. This situation never happens on purpose. Many of my clients have put a lot of thought into their promotion processes. They have mentoring programs in place, a 360-degree review process, independent evaluators – the whole nine yards. I can see how important a fair and equitable promotion/review process is for some of my clients, and yet, the results are still the same – a group of mostly white men at the senior levels of the engineering ladder, members of URGs feeling like they have to battle the boys club, and a sense that the promotion process is unfair.
