Grandstand. “Copinage” is a non-political subject in France today. Everyone knows how useful relationships are for finding an internship, a job or simply climbing the ladder. Many suffer from the situation, exasperated to stay on the floor, to be overtaken by relatives of the head of department, classmates, friends of friends, or by courtiers who are not necessarily competent…
But this favouritism, unlike proven discrimination, does not fall under the law. We regret it quietly, and we deal with it. Our survey shows, however, the generally deleterious consequences of these questionable practices, which undermine the work motivation of a large number of employees, pushing some of them to resign because their contribution is not recognized at its fair value, and more generally nurturing a large feeling of frustration.
Conducted in several countries at the same time, with some 700 employees, our research first highlights a strong link between this practice of cronyism and the level of social inequality. In the United States and China, for example, professional skills are displayed as the major determinants of recruitment and promotions, but a fairly powerful system of reciprocal favors operates behind the scenes, without causing much commotion.
Cronyism linked to corruption
The acceptance of this cronyism remains linked to the general level of corruption. In very corrupt countries like Russia, for example, favoritism is all the more accepted in the company if the whole society functions on this basis. Without a piston, without relationships, nothing can be achieved.
It is not surprising that tolerance for cronyism is much lower in a country like Germany, which is not very unequal (UN index) and little corrupted (Transparency International). Recruiting or promoting a friend arouses intense disapproval from the collective and leads employees to want to quickly leave a professional environment considered unhealthy.
In France, a country fairly close to Germany, in terms of inequality and corruption, favoritism should therefore logically also generate virulent reactions. A study that we are currently conducting suggests, in reality, a double movement: an apparent tolerance and, slyly, among employees confronted with the phenomenon, a reduction in affective commitment to the organization that employs them, at the risk of a strong turn-over in periods, such as the current period, when the labor market proves buoyant.
You have 50.1% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.