The guardians of the ladder: how meritocratic decisions are influenced by human resource and line managers

Purpose This study reveals a significant difference in managerial promotion recommendations by examining how human resource (HR) and line managers make upward mobility and pay raise recommendations given varying contextual and task performance contexts. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on regulatory focus theory, we investigate how manager type influences the relationship between performance and promotion decisions. Using a policy-capturing design, we collected recommendations from 93 HR and line managers for a total of 2,139 promotion decisions on varying contextual and task performances. Findings Results reveal that HR managers associate task performance more strongly with pay raise recommendations than line managers, while line managers place greater importance on contextual performance when considering upward mobility recommendations compared to HR managers. Originality/value These findings enhance our understanding of the differences in HR or line manager promotion decision-making processes, offering valuable insights for developing more balanced and merit-based promotion practices.