It’s Good to Be the King: Investigating Why People Care about Hierarchical Position

Abstract

The dynamics of social hierarchy have been a longstanding interest among organizational scholars and, moreover, have received particular attention in recent work. Much of this theorizing and empirical research on social hierarchy in organizations is based on the premise that organizational actors’ concern over hierarchy is rooted in the extensive benefits that accrue to those holding prominent hierarchical positions within their organization. This premise is often described as the ‘functional account’ of social hierarchy. However, relatively little research has directly examined the functional account. That is, although it is well documented that hierarchical rank typically yields many critical benefits, relatively less work has explicitly tested the role of these benefits in determining why and how employees are oriented toward attaining and maintaining prominent hierarchical rank. The papers in this proposed symposium all examine this underexplored issue. That is, this symposium consists of five papers that, in way or another, explore the functional account of social hierarchy and its explanation as to why people are motivated toward possessing prominent hierarchical rank. Overall, these papers deepen our understanding about individuals’ motivations vis-a-vis their hierarchical position and the implications of those motivations for organizational dynamics. Dominance and Prestige: Dual Motives for Navigating Social Hierarchies Presenter: Charleen R. Case; Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Presenter: Jon Maner; Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Addictive Status: Why this Happens and What this Means for Rewarding Top Performers Presenter: Nicholas A Hays; Michigan State U. Social Hierarchy and Self-Concept Presenter: Siyu Yu; New York U. Presenter: Steven Blader; New York U. Do People Desire to Have High Status or Higher Status Than Others? Presenter: Cameron Anderson; U. of California, Berkeley Presenter: John Angus Hildreth; Cornell Johnson School An Evolutionary Account of the Motivation to Advance Over Others in Economic Interactions Presenter: Margaret Lee; London Business School Presenter: Marko Pitesa; U. of Maryland R.H. Smith School of Business Presenter: Madan M. Pillutla; London Business School Presenter: Stefan Thau; INSEAD