Pedigree is the little blue pill for all corporate dysfunctions – From Market Share, to Innovation, Productivity or even Cultural integration- there is nothing this pill cannot solve. The efficacy of the pedigree cure is rarely questioned and so – I decided to put a counter argument .
Why it works
- Intelligence is narrowly defined & the selection practices create a virtuous cycle- While Intelligence has multiple dimensions, our selection processes – Institutional and corporate focus on 2 dimensions- Analytical (skewed towards Mathematical aptitude) and Communication – Comprehension and Verbal presentation ( here communication = English; the person can be a Premchand in Hindustani or a Subramania Bharti In Tamil- but communication in all our elite tests= English )
- Reduce False positives – the number of filters/competition- whether its IIT/JEE exam or the CAT selection process ensure the number of false positives are reduced in the final selection. Interestingly our most dependable filters continue to be public sector institutions
- Boosts an Employer Brand
- And birds of a feather flock together thus increases chances of cultural integration
- Socialized for Success – Not only do the premium institutions have the resources to train the person better- it socializes them for success through alumni networks, industry investments, interactions and the halo of self- fulfilling prophecy. Cue – a person who comes from “Grade A” and fails – its the individuals failure- you get another from “Grade C” while you are stocked with Grade A- the reason given is “its the wrong institution we hired from – couldn’t keep pace!”- or anything else which justifies the stereotype and avoids uncomfortable questions on the hiring process
Why it does NOT work
If you have been in Headhunting as long as me- you will realize that the percentage of idiots with pedigree and non – pedigree is the same; its just that the ones with pedigree are usually in a higher position to cause more damage because of the initial boost they are entitled because of pedigree.
A friend of mine joined as chief of staff to a MD and founder who was Engineer from UCLA and MBA from Harvard- this is as blue blooded a pedigree as you can get. They prepared for an IPO- my friend worked her ass off and 15/25 days before the launch it was put on hold because the religious teacher of the MD said his stars are not aligned for success- they launched it 8 months later to disastrous consequences!
- Pedigree is not equal to intelligence or for that matter competencies required to succeed in a job. If you get your selection strategy right – you will find the right people in the most unlikely of places- provided you have an open mind.
- Artificially increases hiring / salary budgets – the unquestioned belief in pedigree has a snowball effect and leaves the organization susceptible to new entrants/ competitor moves in a artificially shrunk talent market. A Consumer durable firm had to do salary corrections mid-term- because they realized that campus is now paying what folks with 1 year experience have
- Diversity– is not just gender, sexual orientation or ability but is also function of the socio-economic/ regional pool you intake. When a certain section of the society games the selection process ( look at the Kota entrance exam factory)- diversity goes for a toss, and it leads to two other organizational dysfunctions – Groupthink & Lack of Creativity
- Groupthink- from the Challenger disaster to the corporate disasters that was Enron , Anderson and closer home Satyam and ILFS were all lead by the ” traditional meritocratic” elite- where counter arguments were viciously silenced.
- Lack of Creativity- More diverse groups are more creative
- Create Self Fulfilling prophecies and destroying potential– Do we really not understand what categorizing institutes and people into grade A, Grade B , Grade C does to Morale and their potential achievements.
How to get out of the Pedigree trap
- Get your Success factors right and create a selection process not skewed towards mathematical or comprehension skills. Look at more holistic achievements- I know its simplistic but I used to give extra credit to someone who was fabulous in sports
- Try a new campus every year– if you are stuck in the IIT rut- try a REC or campuses like Jamia, Thapar, Ashoka University, Shoolini ( get in touch with Atul Khosla– he has his heart and mind in the right place)
- Think Liberal arts – As JM Olejarz says in HBR-“From Silicon Valley to the Pentagon, people are beginning to realize that to effectively tackle today’s biggest social and technological challenges, we need to think critically about their human context—something humanities graduates happen to be well trained to do. Call it the revenge of the film, history, and philosophy nerds”
- Here is a thought – if you are not getting the first 2 days at your grade A campus – why not try day 1 in an institution you would traditionally rate Grade B /C – trust me the quality of hiring will not suffer
The 4 minute mile barrier had stood for ages, infact scientist thought it cannot be broken and some tried to prove the human lung capacity was not enough- until on May 6, 1954, on a cold day and on a wet track ( not ideal running conditions)- Roger Bannister broke it -and Bannister wasn’t even in the elite runners of his time- Just 46 days Bannister’s feat, John Landy, an Australian runner broke the barrier again. Then, just a year later, three runners broke the four-minute barrier in a single race. Over the last half century, more than a thousand runners have conquered a barrier that had once been considered hopelessly out of reach. I used to always tell this story to any of my students struggling with confidence but I think its Corporate leaders and HR departments which need it more!
Omar Farooq
Founder & CEO- AceProHR
Great Teams are not made by chance. Ask us how we identify talent which creates competitive advantage for our clients