Opportunity and attention as scarce resources
The two resources a manager hands out that shape careers. One is the visible work that helps people grow; the other is mentorship, airtime, credit and the benefit of the doubt. Both flow along a default gradient: to the similar, the confident, the vocal and the near.
Evidence grade: practice A widely adopted practitioner model with clear provenance.
Use it when
The opportunity ledger; turning "be inclusive" into a question a manager can audit and act on.
Where it stops working
It is ordinary observation. Its power is that it makes the distribution visible, and the visible pattern is usually different from the one the manager believed in.
Where the standard uses it
- CC-3Inclusive practices and equitable opportunity distributionWho gets the stretch work, the visibility, and the benefit of the doubt.
Used alongside it
- Diversity and decision quality contested
- Glue work practice
- Merger integration with cultural intent practice
- Proximity and promotion research
Cite this model
Chicago, BibTeX and licence →Engineering Management Academy. (2026). Opportunity and attention as scarce resources. In Engineering Management Academy Body of Knowledge (Version 3.1, TEC.opportunity-and-attention-as-scarce-resources). https://www.engineeringmanagement.academy/body-of-knowledge/techniques/opportunity-and-attention-as-scarce-resources