NumBytes 54: Sucking Up

According to a study of 303 senior executives at US companies conducted by Georgetown University and research company Penn Schoen Berland, 84% complain favoritism takes place in their companies, 23% said they do it themselves, and 9% admit it was a factor in determining their last promotion. Almost 75% noted their companies had procedures in place to ensure fairness in promotions -- which is often circumvented when executives limit their searches to a single candidate, have one preference before starting the search, and using criteria such as trustworthiness and comfort.

So, sucking up, er, playing well with others, helps career paths, but being 'disagreeable' may make employees wealthier -- see NumBytes 47: Don't Worry, Be Rude.