Abstract
Racially stratified organizational hierarchies are prevalent in modern society. In this paper, we draw upon theories of emergence to argue that this phenomenon can be explained, in part, as a byproduct of the combined behavior of many individuals who express only small biases against persons of color (POCs) in promotability evaluations. Compounding this problem, we contend that commonly used, seemingly “color-blind” promotion policies can have the unintended side effect of exacerbating and institutionalizing racial disadvantage. To test these propositions, we developed a dynamic, agent-based model designed to simulate the structure and staffing decision-making policies of a typical, mid-sized Fortune 500 company. We then used this model to run a series of simulated experiments exploring the combined impact of racial bias and promotion policy on POC representation within the organizational hierarchy. Simulation results highlight the largely untapped promise of structural solutions to the problems of racism at work.
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