Gender Differences in Reapplication after Rejection and Women’s Representation in Talent Pipelines

We use mathematical modeling and re-analyze field data to devise a novel approach for improving women’s representation in talent pipelines: managing rejection in selection processes. Our model shows that a recently documented behavioral regularity – namely, gender differences in reapplication after rejection – can have substantial long-term effects on women’s representation in real-world talent pipelines. These effects are more effectively mitigated by reducing the rejection rate than by reducing the gender differences in reapplication themselves. Hence, the popular strategy of expanding applicant pools to promote diversity can sometimes yield perverse outcomes absent sufficient changes in the pool’s gender composition. We ground and test the implications of our model using talent pipeline data from innovation, entrepreneurship, and management settings. We examine the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Should you want to attend this talk, please register by sending a message to Thinley Tharchen at: tharchen@em-lyon.com by Tuesday 12 noon. We will order a free sandwich for you (please mention any dietary preference). [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]