ExxonMobil's entire corporate culture is a function of its ranking system. In a nutshell everyone in an range of jobs is force-ranked. So you are either listed as the #1 employee, the #27 or the #100 or anywhere in between. In theory it is an objective way to move the best people to the top and show the worst people the door. It's extremely political and is more of a popularity contest for everyone except maybe your own manager.
What is messed up is that if you are not in the top 10% then Exxon basically treats you like your career is completely worthless and you are lucky just to be there. I have worked at Exxon for about 10 years, I have ONLY been in the top 1/3 and was basically told "we're moving you to a job that you don't want and won't be good at, but we don't really care about you. Someone else needs to check a box and you are in the job that they need to check it."
Unfortunately, the whole system is run by the people that did well in it, so as far as they know the system works well. It promotes people that think, act and talk like them. They keep getting more and more money and better and more interesting jobs. As far as they're concerned all the other people in the company should count themselves lucky just to have jobs.
