Social Status

Examples of Social Status in the following topics:

• Differences in Status

  • Among the many organizational and individual factors that can influence the effectiveness of business communication, social status is one of the most challenging to address.
  • Social status refers to the relative rank or standing that an individual has in the eyes of others.
  • There are two elements of social status—those attributes we are born with and those we achieve.
  • Employment and occupation are primary factors in social status, and one's role in an organization is especially relevant within the boundaries of that organization.
  • To many, social status is an indicator of credibility and legitimacy, and this effects how seriously others take what one communicates.

• Defining Culture

  • While these 20th century definitions of culture are quite close to the modern day interpretations, the complex relationship between genetics, sociology, psychology, social sciences and neurology create an increasingly varied spectrum of possible definitions and interpretations of culture.

• Diversity Bias

  • These processes include information-processing shortcuts, motivational factors, and social influence.
  • Examples include the false-consensus bias, status quo bias, in-group favoritism, and stereotyping.
  • Status quo bias should be distinguished from a rational preference for the status quo, as when the current state of affairs is objectively superior to the available alternatives, or when imperfect information is a significant problem.
  • A large body of evidence, however, shows that an irrational preference for the status quo—a status quo bias—frequently has a negative affect on decision-making.
  • A social process that may have links to cognitive biases but also to other social dynamics.

• A Leader's Influence

  • Leaders use social influence to maintain support and order with their subordinates.
  • Influence is apparent in the form of peer pressure, socialization, conformity, obedience, and persuasion.
  • In 1958, Harvard psychologist Herbert Kelman identified three broad varieties of social influence: compliance, identification, and internalization.
  • Status is a key aspect of identification: when people purchase something highly coveted by many others, such as the latest smartphone, they are under the influence of identification.

• The GLOBE Project

  • The GLOBE Research Project is an international group of social scientists and management scholars who study cross-cultural leadership.
  • Under the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) Research Project, an international group of social scientists and management scholars studied cross-cultural leadership.
  • Assertiveness orientation is the degree to which individuals in organizations or societies are assertive, confrontational, and aggressive in social relationships.
  • Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which members of an organization or society strive to avoid uncertainty by reliance on social norms, rituals, and bureaucratic practices to alleviate the unpredictability of future events.
  • Self-protective: Characterized by self-centeredness, face-saving, and procedural behavior capable of inducing conflict when necessary, while being conscious of status.

• Causes of Workplace Stress

  • A person's status in the workplace can also affect levels of stress.
  • Researchers and social commentators have pointed out that advances in technology and communications have made companies more efficient and more productive than ever before.
  • Workplace bullying can involve threats to an employee's professional or personal image or status, deliberate isolation, or giving an employee excess work.
  • Evaluate the role of work conditions, economic factors, and organizational social dynamics in the experience of stress in the workplace

• Social Entrepreneurship

• Informal Communication

  • The maintenance of personal networks and social relationships through information communication is understood to be a key factor in how people get work done.
  • Informal communication, on the other hand, can occur in any direction and take place between individuals of different status and roles.

• Challenges to Achieving Organizational Diversity

  • Diversity can include elements across religion, gender, age, race, sexual orientation, disability status, and other related factors.
  • Another challenge is related to a social behavior called homophily—the tendency of individuals to associate with others who are similar to them.
  • This tendency can manifest not only in the recruitment and hiring processes within organizations, but also in the informal socialization patterns of individuals within the firm.

• Sources of Power

  • Also called "positional power," this is the power individuals have from their role and status within an organization.
  • That access can indicate relationships with other power holders and convey status that creates a positive impression.
  • These tactics are more direct and interpersonal and can involve collaboration or other social interaction.
  • In many circumstances, fear of social exclusion can be a much stronger motivator than some kind of physical punishment.