Across programs and subject areas, the Desautels Faculty of Management recognizes the vital role that teaching plays in enriching the student experience and in inspiring the next generation of leaders.

The Distinguished Teaching Award recipients Anna Kim and Warut Khern-am-nuai were honoured at McGill’s 2023 Management Convocation ceremony on May 31, for their excellence in teaching.

In the past few years of the Covid pandemic, many people have left or lost their jobs and sought out new ones. Who has succeeded and who hasn’t depends not only on merit and ability, but on who you know—word-of-mouth is one of the most common ways that people learn about and are encouraged to apply for jobs. And who you know typically reflects your gender, race, and other influential differences that in policy terms are markers of diversity. Examining the role gender plays in job recruitment and hiring can lead to a more diverse workforce that benefits both organizations and society.

An exchange between a rookie officer and senior officer in the moments before George Floyd’s death is a telling interaction revealing how systemic racism continues to be enforced by officers in the field. In instances when these interactions aren’t caught on a bystanders’ camera, Professor Brian Rubineau says, rookie officers are more likely to accept these on-the-job lessons from their superiors.

Meritocracies are predicated on the belief that only the best are chosen and that hard work and talent are always rewarded. If we presume that talent and hard work are not gender specific, then why is it that assumed meritocracies show extraordinary imbalances between men and women? Surprisingly, part of the answer is the assumption itself: Assuming a setting is a meritocracy can blind even those experiencing discrimination to its actual inequalities.

A new study co-authored by Professor Brian Rubineau shows that while the popular practice of network hiring can introduce gender diversity in lower-level jobs, it actually fails to do so at the executive level.

“Network recruitment is not the only process contributing to the glass ceiling, but by working to reduce the processes that contribute to the glass ceiling, we can help promote more equitable workplaces,” says Prof. Rubineau.

According to a study co-authored by Professor Brian Rubineau, female engineers find consistent evidence that their profession is not an objective meritocracy, but embrace the belief that it is – thus further perpetuating gender (and other) inequalities.