eprintid: 10087277
rev_number: 20
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/10/08/72/77
datestamp: 2020-01-09 18:15:37
lastmod: 2021-12-14 00:02:29
status_changed: 2020-01-09 18:15:37
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Livan, G
title: Don't follow the leader: how ranking performance reduces meritocracy
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B04
divisions: C05
divisions: F48
keywords: agent-based modelling, meritocracy, performance measurement, serendipity
note: © 2019 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
abstract: In the name of meritocracy, modern economies devote increasing amounts of resources to quantifying and ranking the performance of individuals and organizations. Rankings send out powerful signals, which lead to identifying the actions of top performers as the 'best practices' that others should also adopt. However, several studies have shown that the imitation of best practices often leads to a drop in performance. So, should those lagging behind in a ranking imitate top performers or should they instead pursue a strategy of their own? I tackle this question by numerically simulating a stylized model of a society whose agents seek to climb a ranking either by imitating the actions of top performers or by randomly trying out different actions, i.e. via serendipity. The model gives rise to a rich phenomenology, showing that the imitation of top performers increases welfare overall, but at the cost of higher inequality. Indeed, the imitation of top performers turns out to be a self-defeating strategy that consolidates the early advantage of a few lucky-and not necessarily talented-winners, leading to a very unequal, homogenized and effectively non-meritocratic society. Conversely, serendipity favours meritocratic outcomes and prevents rankings from freezing.
date: 2019-11-01
official_url: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191255
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
article_type_text: Journal Article
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1678360
doi: 10.1098/rsos.191255
pii: rsos191255
lyricists_name: Livan, Giacomo
lyricists_id: GLIVA46
actors_name: Flynn, Bernadette
actors_id: BFFLY94
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
publication: Royal Society Open Science
volume: 6
number: 11
article_number: 191255
event_location: England
issn: 2054-5703
citation:        Livan, G;      (2019)    Don't follow the leader: how ranking performance reduces meritocracy.                   Royal Society Open Science , 6  (11)    , Article 191255.  10.1098/rsos.191255 <https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191255>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10087277/1/rsos.191255.pdf