Cracking the Deck: National origins and promotions in the Dutch East India Company, 1700–1796

Organizational scholars highlight various challenges in reducing inequality within organizations. Due to unanticipated consequences, many programs launched by organizations fail to accomplish this goal. We leverage historical data from the Dutch East India Company to claim that training programs may...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organization studies Vol. 45; no. 7; pp. 1039 - 1061
Main Authors: Wezel, Filippo Carlo, Ruef, Martin
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2024
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects:
Companies
Data
Educational programs
Incentives
Inequality
Leadership
Organizations
Ships
Teamwork
Training
India
inequality
promotions
historical analysis
ISSN:0170-8406, 1741-3044
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Organizational scholars highlight various challenges in reducing inequality within organizations. Due to unanticipated consequences, many programs launched by organizations fail to accomplish this goal. We leverage historical data from the Dutch East India Company to claim that training programs may be an effective tool against inequality when coupled with teamwork incentives and included in broader programs for change. We study the effects of these programs on the unequal promotion rates between Dutchmen and non-Dutchmen across periods of time in which those programs were offered and in which they were not. Our analyses of promotions to top-ranked positions on the Company’s ships suggest a two-fold conclusion: first, the introduction of leadership training and teamwork incentives reduced the differential weights given to the experience of Dutchmen and non-Dutchmen; and, second, those benefits disappeared when the policies were rescinded. The results underscore the opportunities and difficulties that organizations face in implementing durable interventions against inequality.
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ISSN:0170-8406
1741-3044
DOI:10.1177/01708406241248985