Author Abstract
Hierarchies are pervasive in groups, generally providing clear guidelines for the dominance and deference behaviors that members are expected to show based on their relative ranks. But what happens when team members disagree about where each member ranks on the status hierarchy? Although some research has examined overt status rivalries, typically focusing on battles for the top positions, our study contributes novel findings on the effects of disagreement amongst all members' perceptions of their team's status hierarchy. This paper develops and tests a theory to explain how even small differences in members' status perceptions—differences that may not be apparent to the members themselves—can diminish coordination, generate task conflict, and weaken performance. Survey data from a longitudinal field study of 89 consulting and audit teams from a Big Four accounting firm allow us to examine how teams experience status disagreement over time, and client ratings demonstrate how coordination and conflict ultimately affect team performance with clients. 42 pages
Paper Information
- Full Working Paper Text
- Working Paper Publication Date: June 2010
- HBS Working Paper Number: 10-113
- Faculty Unit(s): Organizational Behavior