Lenience breeds strictness: The generosity-erosion effect in hiring decisions

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Human Resources Management
• Decision Making

Background:

• Sequential evaluation processes in recruitment can introduce biases affecting candidate assessment.
• Previous research has not fully explored how initial lenient grading impacts subsequent evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and investigate the generosity-erosion effect in hiring contexts.
• To determine if initial generous grading influences subsequent evaluations of candidates.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a high-stakes hiring process (N=11,281) to observe the generosity-erosion effect.
• A second experiment (N=3171) examined the effect in a highly selective hiring scenario.
• Generosity was defined as providing the minimum passing grade.

Main Results:

• In the first experiment, each generously graded candidate decreased subsequent candidates' pass probability by 7.7%.
• The generosity-erosion effect was not observed in the second, more selective hiring process.
• Findings suggest the effect is context-dependent.

Conclusions:

• The generosity-erosion effect demonstrates a potential bias where initial leniency leads to harsher subsequent evaluations.
• The effect's presence depends on the overall selectivity and pass rates of the hiring process.
• Understanding this bias is crucial for fair and effective recruitment.