Abstract
We theorize that individuals’ pre-existing beliefs about the hiring manager role (role construal) are associated with their tendency to condone bias accommodation in hiring contexts, in which a person aligns hiring decisions with the perceived biases of others. In two studies, we focus on human resources (HR) professionals’ endorsement of the role demand to prioritize candidate fit with others (e.g., supervisor) when making hiring decisions. Study 1 examined bias accommodation from a vicarious perspective, revealing that role demand endorsement is positively associated with viewing it as acceptable and common for another hiring manager to accommodate third-party bias against women. Study 2 examined bias accommodation experimentally from an actor’s perspective, showing lower preference for and selection of a female (vs. male) job candidate in the presence of cues to third-party bias against women, but only when role demand endorsement is relatively high. HR professionals in both studies indicated that third-party bias influences in hiring are relatively common. Responses in Study 2 provide preliminary evidence that the phenomenon of third-party bias accommodation might be relevant in the context of employment discrimination based on group characteristics other than gender (e.g., race/ethnicity, age). We discuss the practical implications of our findings for hiring professionals and for organizations seeking to increase diversity in their workforce.
Highlights
Organizations frequently outsource staff recruitment efforts to external providers [1, 2]
We focus on a mechanism, individual differences in role construal—endorsement of a role demand for hiring managers to prioritize candidate fit with others— that explains why people might condone bias accommodation in hiring
We examine whether role construal—endorsing a role duty to consider the preferences of existing organizational members and to prioritize a new hire’s fit with those individuals—might predict hiring professionals’ responses to third-party bias accommodation
Summary
Organizations frequently outsource staff recruitment efforts to external providers [1, 2]. Outsourcing recruitment processes can be beneficial, increasing efficiency and reducing overall costs associated with recruitment [3]. Outsourcing the hiring process can provide access to expertise and best practices in hiring [4, 5], and allow organizations to reach higher-quality pools of candidates [4, 6]; cf [1]. Subtle biases may compromise the goal of hiring top talent even through outsourcing [7, 8]. The focus of the current investigation is on understanding how hiring professionals, when making hiring decisions on behalf of another.
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