On the origins of informal hierarchy: The interactive role of formal leadership and task complexity

Oedzes, Jacoba; Vegt, Gerben S. van der; Rink, Floor; Walter, Frank

doi:10.1002/job.2330

Cited by 26 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Similar to previous research, informal hierarchy strength is maximized when every dyadic pairing has asymmetric deference (Bunderson et al, 2016;Oedzes et al, 2019). Accordingly, we adopted a dyadic approach to measure deference asymmetries that was then aggregated into a network measure of informal hierarchy strength.…”

Section: Informal Hierarchy Strengthmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Because project teams undergo predictable shifts in pressure (Gersick, 1989(Gersick, , 1994, they are well-suited for predicting when and how informal hierarchy strength will change over time. Additionally, selfmanaged project teams do not have a formal leader who could create endogeneity issues by affecting informal hierarchy strength through actions such as changing members (e.g., Oedzes et al, 2019).…”

Section: Informal Hierarchy Strength Changes and Their Effect On Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The finding that pressure strengthens informal hierarchy is also notable as it advances a fuller understanding of informal hierarchy strength beyond its consequences. The only empirical paper we were able to find that looked into antecedents of informal hierarchy strength (Oedzes et al, 2019) focused on a fixed feature of most teams, the existence of a formal leader. Pressure, on the other hand, can be influenced by tactics such as framing (Sanner & Evans, 2019) and keeping members informed (Amiot et al, 2006).…”

Section: Theoretical Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Though we found that the amount and distribution of informal hierarchy strength in our student teams to be similar to those in non-student teams, contextual factors that are more prevalent in non-student teams may impact informal hierarchy strength changes. For example, the student sample minimized confounds that may impact informal hierarchy strength such as the presence of a formal team leader (Oedzes et al, 2019) or fluid membership (Bunderson et al, 2014;Min et al, 2020). Examining such contextual factors may provide additional insights into informal hierarchy strength changes.…”

Section: Limitations and Directions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Informal Hierarchy Strength Changes and Their Effect on Performance

Sanner¹,

Evans²

2021

Preprint

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<p>Despite qualitative evidence suggesting that changes in informal hierarchy strength likely impact performance, informal hierarchy strength changes have received little theoretical or empirical attention. We address this by extending structural adaptation theory (SAT) to develop and test a theoretical model of why informal hierarchy strength changes and how those changes impact performance. Building on SAT’s principle that teams can become more ordered following stimulation, we propose that pressure subsequently increases informal hierarchy strength. In project teams where pressure starts low and increases at the midpoint, informal hierarchy should weaken early in project life and strengthen after the midpoint. We also extend SAT’s asymmetric adaptability principle to consider not just the direction but also the rate of the changes. We hypothesize that sharply strengthening informal hierarchy harms performance, but informal hierarchy strengthening gradually improves performance. SAT also implies that gradual change is promoted by inclusive discussions. Because most influential extraverts tend to squelch inclusive discussions where most influential neurotics tend to be inclusive, teams with most influential extraverts strengthen their informal hierarchy quickly where teams with most influential neurotics strengthen their informal hierarchy gradually. We find support for our theoretical model using longitudinal data and client performance ratings on self-managed project teams. Our results contribute to SAT by showing its application to informal, unplanned changes and introducing the rate of change to its asymmetric adaptability principle. Our findings also highlight the importance of shifting informal hierarchy strength research away from the predominant static approach and towards studying informal hierarchy strength changes.</p>

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Section: Informal Hierarchy Strengthmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Informal Hierarchy Strength Changes and Their Effect On Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitations and Directions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Informal Hierarchy Strength Changes and Their Effect on Performance

Sanner¹,

Evans²

2021

Preprint

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“…Hierarchy of company has also great impact on the company prosperity; informal hierarchies are a common and important feature of many groups, yet we know little about the antecedent conditions that determine the strength of such hierarchy. [17] Modern sexist beliefs are currently emerging as one of the most important barriers to achieving gender equality in managerial positions in organizations. [18] The other study found that the main SHS Web of Conferences 9 2, 0 (2021) Globalization and its Socio-Economic Consequences 2020 barriers in women's career enhancement were work-life imbalance, subordinates' perceptions regarding women leaders, social networking, and personal factors.…”

Section: Management From the Aspect Of Diversity In Era Of Globalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender equality management in modern company management in era of globalization

Šukalová

Ceniga

2021

SHS Web of Conf.

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Research background: Today’s dynamic times in era of globalization bring change to all areas of business; there is increasing pressure to increase the competitiveness of companies and thus increase the requirements for management. Despite current trends, emancipation and globalization, the issue of gender equality and gender policy is still relevant and needs to be addressed. New management disciplines include diversity management. It focuses on the different social and cultural identities of employees and also on eliminating discrimination and inequality in the organization. Diversity management has later developed into a relatively separate discipline - gender relations management. Label recognition of the organization as “gender-integrated” means that organizational culture and processes are based on the recognition and promotion of gender equality. Gender equality is associated with the concept of equal opportunities at work and actual legislation in the field of labour protection. Purpose of the article: The aim of the paper is based on modern management trends and the legislative framework for gender equality as well as anti-discrimination management principles to analyse the current situation on the example of a case study from the requirements of a gender integrated organization and to propose systemic measures to address issues for business practice. Methods: The method of analysis, synthesis, deduction, interview and questionnaire was used in the research. A survey was performed in 2019 on the examle of case study in big sized company in the field of machinery industry. Findings & Value added: Adherence to gender equality policy can be a competitive advantage for the entrepreneur. This initiative is becoming a motivating factor for entrepreneurs to launch measures that would lead to introduction and strengthening of gender equality.

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Breadth Verses Depth: The Impact of Tree Structure on Cultural Influence

Morris

Turner

Whitaker

et al. 2020

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Modeling

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Cultural spread in social networks and organisations is an important and longstanding issue. In this paper we assess this role of tree structures in facilitating cultural diversity. Cultural features are represented using abstract traits that are held by individual agents, which may transfer when neighbouring agents interact through the network structure. We use an agent-based model that incorporates both the combined social pressure and influence from an agent's neighbours. We perform a multivariate study where the number of features and traits representing culture are varied, alongside the breadth and depth of the tree. The results reveal interesting findings on cultural diversity. Increasing the number of features promotes strong convergence in flatter trees as compared to narrower and deeper trees. At the same time increasing features causes narrower deeper trees to show greater cultural pluralism while flatter trees instead show greater cultural homogenisation. We also find that in contrast to previous work, the polarisation between nodes does not rise steadily as the number of traits increase but under certain conditions may also fall. The results have implications for organisational structures -in particular for hierarchies where depth supports cultural divergence, while breadth promotes greater homogeneity, but with increased coordination overhead on the root nodes. These observations also support subsidiarity in deep organisational structures -it is not just a case of communication length promoting subsidiarity, but local cultural differences are more likely to be sustained within these structures.

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On the origins of informal hierarchy: The interactive role of formal leadership and task complexity

Cited by 26 publications

References 90 publications

Informal Hierarchy Strength Changes and Their Effect on Performance

Informal Hierarchy Strength Changes and Their Effect on Performance

Gender equality management in modern company management in era of globalization

Breadth Verses Depth: The Impact of Tree Structure on Cultural Influence

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