Minority of Americans Think Merit Yields Job Advancement.

Fewer than half of Americans believe merit is what counts most in job advancement, according to a nationwide telephone survey by J. Howard & Associates, a multicultural consulting unit of Provant, Inc. While 39% of employed Americans think merit is what’s key to promotion, more than half cite other factors, including seniority (26%), personal connections (17%) or luck (6%).

“The workplace meritocracy has always been a belief held dear by Americans,” said Mike Hyter, President and CEO of J. Howard. “For years it was a matter of faith that merit will be rewarded. But trust in the meritocracy is losing ground. More people now regard merit promotion as a myth, or at least secondary to who-you-know or how long you’ve been around.”

Moreover, belief in merit promotion varies according to age and other demographics, explained Hyter. “Employees over 65 are most likely to believe merit plays the biggest part in promotion. After them, the 35-44 year-old cohort has the most faith in merit. Of course, this group is in the takeoff position for promotion and may have the greatest stake in holding onto the idea that merit is rewarded.”

Among the survey’s other findings:

— Younger workers are more likely than older ones to think seniority is most important, while trust in connections is consistent across all the age groups.

— Belief in meritocracy increases according to both income and education. The higher the income or educational level, the greater the belief that merit counts.

— Although there was no significant difference between Blacks and Whites in their trust in merit (42% and 40% respectively), one quarter of Blacks credit connections compared with just 15% of Whites.

— The view that promotion is mostly a matter of luck scarcely varies by sex, education, income or race.

J. Howard & Associates wanted to explore how employees think they get promoted, said Hyter. “Do Americans really accept the idea of the corporate meritocracy? Turns out most people think the system doesn’t work and that merit promotion is a myth. In fact, some just believe in pure luck. And a majority of Blacks mistrusts the system and thinks it’s who-you-know that counts.”

Based on the findings, U.S. employers have their work cut out, said Hyter believes. “Senior management has to take a hard look at its own workplace realities. And companies have to do a better job communicating what’s expected for job advancement and developing employees so they can succeed.”

The Excel National Omnibus Survey of 1,010 adult Americans was conducted for J. Howard by International Communications Research, Media, PA. Findings are based on the 604 individuals who were employed at the time of the survey.

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