Meritocracy vs Tradition: AVPs' Perspectives on Promotion Practices and Organisational Justice in Karachi's Private Banks
This qualitative study explores how Assistant Vice Presidents (AVPs) in Karachi’s private banking sector perceive promotion practices, weighing meritocratic ideals against traditional influences like nepotism and seniority. Fifteen AVPs from several diverse banks were purposively selected; data saturation occurred at interview 12 and was confirmed by three additional interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and March 2025 and then analysed thematically. Four themes emerged: (1) Meritocracy in Principle vs. Practice, (2) Perceptions of Fairness and Organizational Justice, (3) Influences on Morale and Retention, and (4) Navigating and Improving Promotion Systems. Participants described a tension between formal merit-based policies and informal patronage networks. Ethical-leadership cues, i.e., leaders’ refusal of “sifarish” (personal recommendations), amplified or mitigated justice perceptions, extending the ethical-leadership theory to a high-power-distance setting. Subjective factors and personal ties frequently overshadowed performance, producing procedural and distributive injustice and driving demotivation, cynicism, and turnover intent. Societally, fairer promotion systems could curb the professional brain drain and strengthen public trust in Pakistan’s private sector. The study enriches organisational justice models by distinguishing benign seniority from corrosive nepotism and underscores cultural moderators' role. Practical recommendations include cross-functional promotion committees, KPI-based dashboards, bias audits, and leadership accountability linked to fairness metrics. These data-driven, transparent mechanisms offer a roadmap for transitioning from aspirational to authentic meritocracy.