Corporate rituals on trial

Applying for a job can feel like seeking admission to a royal household. Candidates submit a CV, cover letter, certificates, photograph, present salary, expected salary and perhaps proof of good behaviour in a previous life. After three interviews and six weeks of silence, HR announces that the position has been “put on hold”. Miraculously, the chairman’s nephew reports for duty on Monday without even updating LinkedIn.

A recent Harvard Business Review research roundup questions familiar corporate practices: cover letters, excessively wide salary ranges, boring meetings, employee training and promotional gifts. The findings suggest many organisations are preserving processes whose original purpose has quietly disappeared.

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Take the cover letter. Generative AI can now produce a passionate declaration that an applicant has “always admired the organisation’s transformative vision”, even if the applicant discovered the company 11 minutes earlier. The candidate pretends to have written it, while the recruiter pretends to have read it. Corporate alignment is achieved before employment begins. A weak education system makes the problem worse.

Employers should replace generic cover letters with short, job-specific questions. Ask candidates to solve a problem, analyse a case, explain a difficult decision or submit a sample of actual work. Interviews should test judgement, curiosity and communication. When AI can manufacture eloquence, recruitment must distinguish polished language from genuine ability. This is particularly relevant in Bangladesh, where large numbers of graduates compete for limited opportunities. Many accept irregular, low-paid or unrelated work. Making them write ceremonial love letters to employers does not improve recruitment.

Salary ranges present another puzzle. Many local advertisements promise an “attractive salary”, a wonderfully flexible phrase covering everything from a competitive package to lunch, tea and valuable exposure to the managing director. Others publish ranges broad enough to include both the office assistant and the chief executive.

Research highlighted by HBR finds that excessively wide ranges can discourage women from applying. A range without explanation creates uncertainty. Is the upper figure realistic, or merely decoration? Employers should publish credible salary bands and explain how skills, experience and responsibility determine placement. Transparency saves time, supports fairness and signals that negotiation will not resemble a vegetable auction.

The research also offers a defence of boring meetings. Not every useful meeting must produce excitement or a new corporate slogan. Routine gatherings can transfer knowledge, strengthen relationships and keep colleagues connected. The enemy is not boredom but purposelessness. Every meeting should have a clear purpose, the right participants and someone responsible for decisions. Information that can be shared by email should travel by email. If 14 executives spend two hours reviewing slides and conclude by forming another committee, the meeting has not produced alignment. It has produced tea consumption.

Another finding concerns training. Middle managers strongly influence whether employees participate. Companies often launch learning platforms while supervisors discourage attendance because “work is urgent”. Training then looks impressive in the annual report but remains untouched. Managers should be assessed partly on how well they develop people, while employees should receive protected learning time linked to real career opportunities. Even promotional gifts deserve thought. Research suggests unconditional gifts can encourage customers to spend more. The lesson is not to distribute random mugs carrying the company logo. A useful, timely gesture can create goodwill. A cheap gift followed by 10 sales calls creates suspicion.

The broader message is simple. Management practices should survive because they work, not because they are traditional. Replace cover letters with evidence, salary fog with clarity, endless meetings with decisions, training slogans with managerial accountability and promotional clutter with genuine value. Familiar rituals may make organisations look busy. Only thoughtful redesign makes them better.

The writer is the founder of BuildCon Consultancies Ltd and BuildNation Ltd