An Executive Search Gone AwryBiased Hiring Practices in a Small Organization

Abstract

This teaching case describes an executive search gone awry. A small nonprofit organization committed to social justice set out to hire their first executive director and inad-vertently created a biased hiring process that resulted in a failed search. Through this case, students will learn to identify how resource constraints affect hiring decisions in small organizations, explain the importance of a comprehensive job development plan, develop and introduce a proposal to hire an organization’s first executive director, identify the microfoundations (i.e., individual-level behaviors) of biased hiring practices, and intervene effectively in unproductive or harmful board-level discussions. These learning objectives can be adapted to fit the objectives of courses in board governance, leadership, team dynamics, and human resource management. This case is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students.