HBR’s research published on 25 September 2026 explains how speech patterns affect employees’ career prospects. It is particularly relevant to companies where many development decisions depend on managers’ informal impressions.
Key takeaways
- Managers are more likely to see employees who sound like them as socially skilled, even when this has no connection to actual ability.
- The problem becomes more costly when communication-intensive work provides the greatest access to career advancement.
- CEOs should separate performance assessment from a preference for particular speaking styles in recruitment, promotion and the allocation of key roles.
- Organisations should check whether they reward cultural similarity rather than contribution and potential.
What this means for CEOs
This is about how people gain access to opportunities, rather than language itself. The key lesson for CEOs is that fairer assessment criteria can improve both the quality of talent decisions and the breadth of the talent pipeline.