Foreword

Summary

Although a great deal of an executive’s behavior and success is driven by status needs, nevertheless, there has been a paucity of research on this topic. The purpose of this volume, as suggested by the editor Jone Pearce, is to create the research and conceptual foundation stones for a new field of enquiry, “a quest to learn more about how status influences organizational behavior.” She has brought together some of the leading thinkers around this broad arena, from a number of countries (e.g., the USA, Canada, Germany, and the UK), as well as a senior psychologist for a think tank, the RAND Corporation. They explore how status differences are legitimated, the influence of status on markets, the role of status in new industries and ventures, when ascriptive status trumps achieved status in teams, status in the workplace, and developing status and knowledge management.

By highlighting a subject which has not received the attention it deserves, either conceptually or empirically, this volume is the standard bearer for future theory, research, and development in this field. The editor also highlights the importance of status scholarship for exploring strategic issues in organizations and, in some ways, as an integrative mechanism to engage with a number of the management disciplines as a focal point of research interest.