[gradstudent]

> how do you pick which two?

You (=hypothetical manager, please excuse second-person tense) use your managerial skills to make a decision, which considers metrics and other contributing factors. Then you write a justification which you defend, to higher ups and to those who weren't promoted. Because that's your job.

[jjav]

> Then you write a justification which you defend, to higher ups and to those who weren't promoted.

What happens next is this manager gets a low performance rating themselves, for making decisions not backed by metrics. So next year they conform.

[ryandrake]

This "don't make a decision unless it is 100% derived from metrics" mentality I just don't get. A robot could do that. Why is your company out there trying to hire/promote smart managers with good judgment if they don't let those managers apply their brains and judgment? "If employee's measured results > threshold, then reward employee" can be done by a computer. No need for a human manager.

[eesmith]

Yes, the Nuremberg defense - "I was just following orders" - is one approach.

It's a lot easier than applying back pressure, fighting for your reports, or quitting in solidarity.

"Sorry, Hugo and Maryna, you two only got the Fields medal while Anton and Alain got a Nobel Prize, so we'll have to let you go for your under-performance."

[Arainach]

Here's how this works in practice:

* Corporate says "here are the buckets. They should match at the VP level since that's a large pile of people"

* VPs tell their Directors to match these buckets, who recurse further

* L1/2 Manager Alice says "my team is too small, this isn't how statistics work, I want an exception"

    * Problem #1: the teams with actual low performers will often make similar claims

* If the claim actually gets escalated all the way to the VP, the VP says "tough, fit the buckets".

* Alice is now a troublemaker in VP/Director's eyes

* If Alice and everyone who feels the same way quits in protest, nothing changes except that the org is full of yes men, none of whom are even trying to push for changes in the system any more.