IT Recruitment: Does random job promotion work?

Lucky. No, not the name of my friend's 3 legged, semi-blind dog but the person in your office, perhaps. Yes, the person opposite you who has just been promoted, when it quite obviously defies all logic and reason: the type of person whose absence would not be noticed if they were replaced with a stuffed giraffe.

You’ve worked your socks off, consistently made the boss tea and even laughed at his remedial level of humour. But still that illustrious next step up the ladder is out of reach. What can you do other than plot some Machiavellian scheme to rise up the hierarchy, with the grace and dignity of a mountain goat, leaping from rock to rock?

But before you gorge yourself on sour grapes, bear in mind that luck may have played a bigger part in the process than its beneficiaries would like to concede.

According to a recent study by Italian researchers Alessandro Pluchino, Andrea Rapisarda and Cesare Garofalo, a company may become more capable and competent if it promotes its staff at random. (The study was published in the journal “Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications”).

So, just some food for thought - the next time you are shampooing your boss's poodle at the weekend, or massaging their feet, have a quick think and ask, is this really going to help?

Justin Chambers

IT Service Delivery Account Manager

Add me on LinkedIn

ARM

Share / Bookmark Subscribe to this post's comments using RSS