title: Company norms affect which traits are preferred in job candidates and may cause employment discrimination.
abstract: This study investigated a possible mechanism behind employment discrimination. Participants completed a recruitment task where emphasis on cohesion (employees should "fit in") versus fairness (everybody should be treated equally) was manipulated by describing the norms of a fictitious company differently. There was a comparatively stronger preference in the cohesion condition for traits and interview questions related to social competence (e.g., friendliness, gregariousness, empathy). Furthermore, participants in the cohesion condition primarily pictured socially competent employees, whereas those in the fairness condition primarily pictured employees possessing productivity-related characteristics (e.g., education, experience, and talent). The norm effect was moderated by participants' awareness of the applicants' ethnicity. When expecting applicants with foreign backgrounds, participants in the cohesion condition showed increased preference for selection methods related to social competence. Implications for recruitment practices are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Lund University, Box 213, 221 00 Lund, Sweden. fredrik.bjorklund@psychology.lu.se
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Björklund
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Backström
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wolgast
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002605:Character; D003657:Decision Making; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010560:Personnel Selection; D011361:Professional Competence; D012933:Social Identification; D012945:Social Values; D055815:Young Adult