Within the context of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and specifically as it pertains to the tenets of Title VII, Lindsey, King, Dunleavy, McCausland, and Jones (2013) state: “This focal article raises and addresses critical issues regarding a yet unanswered question: How can organizational researchers and practitioners contribute to the ultimate goal of eradicating employment discrimination” (p. 391). We argue that in the context of employment testing and selection, at least as per the disparate impact theory of discrimination, this question is the wrong one—certainly as framed by Lindsey et al. To the contrary, instead of holding up the "eradication of employment discrimination" as our ultimate goal, perhaps we should continue to focus on the development, implementation, and support of the best (i.e., most job-related and valid) employment practices possible.

In the current focal article, Lindsey, King, Dunleavy, McCausland, & Jones (2013) discuss how organizational scholars and practitioners can help eradicate employment discrimination across the employment cycle, focusing primarily on factors directly linked to organizational outcomes. In addition to facing discrimination that is linked to organizational outcomes, marginalized individuals often face subtle forms of discrimination, which may not directly affect organizational decisions and outcomes but instead may impact one's workplace experiences (e.g., social networking situations). Such negative experiences may indirectly influence organizational decisions and outcomes. Thus, in this commentary we argue that we should not only encourage evidence-based research on eradicating discrimination at the organizational level but ensure that such efforts also examine the social, individual level as well. We discuss manifestations of subtle discrimination that occur within the social aspects of each of the four cycles discussed in the focal article, paying particular attention to social networking situations, and examine steps organizational researchers can take to help reduce discrimination at a more social level as well.