Managing affirmative action

(written by lawrence krubner, however indented passages are often quotes). You can contact lawrence at: lawrence@krubner.com, or follow me on Twitter.

What makes a good manager? Among other things, knowing how much work each worker can do. There are some interesting arguments against affirmative action, but I am wary of Sarah Siskind’s arguments.

Finally, what about intellect? Perhaps our universities are in dire need of diversity of intelligence. Counter to most stereotypes, ugliness is highly correlated with poor intellectual performance by traditional measures, though I don’t know how many qualified applicants will be willing to put that down on their application.

This kind of argument is clever, but I would be worried about seeing that kind of snide cleverness coming from a manager. It’s the kind of argument you can use to box people into a poor position during negotiations, but it doesn’t solicit the kind of information you need to see that actual work gets done. Sarah Siskind is wealthy and white and graduating from Harvard. She might well end up being a manager of something someday. Which is worrisome.

Even if affirmative action rights the injustices of widespread discrimination, as proponents allege, what about the beneficiaries down the line? As Supreme Justice Clarence Thomas argued, employers will likely regard a minority candidate with greater skepticism if their alma mater engaged in affirmative action. This wouldn’t be racism—it would be simple logic—and that is what makes it all the more nefarious.

Siskind if focused on the way that affirmative action can damage the signal that a degree from Harvard is suppose to communicate. How much does a good manager rely on those signals? Personally, I like to look at what a person has actually done. Affirmative Action gives some people the chance to step onto the stage and prove what they can do. The type of manager who listens more to the signal than the accomplishments of a worker is a manager who will have no idea what their work force can do.

Post external references

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    http://www.thecrimson.com/column/the-snollygoster/article/2012/11/2/Siskind-affirmative-action/
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