Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Social Power & Hierarchy
- Social hierarchy
- Implicit or explicit rank order of
individuals with respect to a valued
social dimension
- Formal hierarchy
- Explicit roles that vary by rank
order, with higher ranking
roles, holding greater value
- Power = control over
resources and deference from
subordinates (status)
- Ex - job titles, reporting
structures
- Informal hierarchy
- Rank ordering of individuals that
develops organically on at least
one valued social dimension
- Power = influence over
group decisions and greater
attention from others
- Social power
- Controlled over valued resources
in social relations
- Social status
- The extent to which an
individual is respected by
others
- We give more attention to higher
ranked individuals
- Hierarchical differentiation
- Process through which
individuals are sorted into
rank ordered positions
- Differentiation in formal hierarchies
- Sorting is a dynamic problem b/c
people can enter and leave the
hierarchy
- Individuals can move laterally
or progress through the ranks
- Differentiation in informal hierarchies
- Differentiation develops
spontaneously and rapidly
- Based on behaviour within the first few minutes
- Depends on which
dimension is
important to the group
- Differentiation based on personality
- Individuals achieve rank to the extent they
represent the defining features of that group
- Task oriented organization
- Conscientiousness predicts rank
- Socially oriented organization
- Extraversion predicts rank
- Differentiation based on group needs
- Groups needing little coordination
- Groups needing high coordination
- Tentative speaking styles predict rank
- Assertive speaking styles predict rank
- Functions of hierarchy
- Social order
- Fulfills basic need for
order and structure.
- Coordinations
- Creates differentiated roles
- When hierarchy is unclear,
work is confusing
- Incentive
- Provides motivation
- High rank = material and psychological rewards
- Hierarchy maintenance
- Power transforms how an individual sees the world
- Social power predicts speaking
time and speaking out of turn
- High power = low perspective taking
abilities and emotion detection
- Expect higher ranked people to be
more competent, even without
observing performance
- Expectancy confirmation
- Randomly assigned people to
different positions - managers were
still seen as more competent
- Power approach theory
- High power = focuses on attractive
aspects of situations (rewards)
- Low power = inhibition due to threat of
losing favour (focus on punishment)
- Noblesse oblige
- Rich people should be
generous to those without
- Hierarchy enhancing beliefs
- Social dominance orientation
- Hierarchy is viewed as
natural and inevitable
- High in SDO = prefer inequality
- Legitimizing myths
- Accepted beliefs that provide
rationale for the differential
status of certain groups
- Social Darwinism, meritocracy
and cultural elitism (elite class
deserves the finer things in life)
- Hierarchy instability
- Instability predicts prolonged
hormonal stress
- External change
- Occurs through:
- New environment
- Different perceived value of
previously valued resources
- External shock
- Events such as mergers
b/w companies
- Fairness and legitimacy
- Fairness of
resource allocation
- Disparity b/w low
and high rank
- Legitimate when rank is
determined by appropriate
means and high ranks don't
abuse power
- Competition
- Caused by upward
social comparison
- Status constraints
- Reciprocity norm
- People want to associate
with people of high rank
- If they don't return
attention, lose interest
- Status leakage
- High status individuals lose power
by being seen interacting with low
status individuals
- Low status get a greater boost in status