ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION FOR SURVIVAL: AN ANALYSIS (part 25)

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POWER AND STATUS
by
Charles Lamson

Janet Smith has finally made it. She has a secretary outside her office to screen people and calls. Her secretary's office is plush, comfortable, and has a window. Her secretary is pleased with the office. Janet's office has a work area and a conversation area. Her desk is made of the finest mahogany and her chair is a plush swivel model. Her office is color coordinated and at one end of the room she has windows that enable her to have a view of the city. She clearly has status.

Status is the thing many employees strive for more than pay. To be perceived better than someone else or have higher status than someone else can make otherwise fairly decent people lie, cheat, and steal. They want "things," status symbols that say they are somebody.

NATURE OF STATUS

Status is a person's role or position within a group or an organization. Status can be earned or awarded to us by our position in the organization. Because people quickly learn that status is something to work toward, everyone wants a slice of the pie. For example, attending some schools carries higher status than attending others (For example, Harvard University versus South Dakota State University). To be associated with certain groups is to gain a certain amount of the status associated with them (For example, to be a member of the football team, even a bench warmer). Wearing certain clothes connotes more status than wearing other clothing. Why did Izod, Guess, and Calvin Klein become so popular? Was it because of the quality of the clothing? Hardly. It was because of the status associated with them. If you wore Calvins, you seemed to have money, power and status. Some jobs carry higher status than other jobs. White collar jobs are usually ranked higher than blue collar jobs in terms of status. Being a corporate lawyer usually carries more status than being a sanitation engineer, but being a sanitation engineer has far more status than being a janitor. Which would you rather be, a meteorologist or a weather girl? How about weather boy?

We must remember that status affects how some people respond to their jobs and how people interact with others who have status, as opposed to those who do not have status in organizations. People think that with status comes power and authority. That is not necessarily true. One can be of high status in terms of material items, but command little respect or have little power over others. However, because employees think status gives them power, they work very hard for status.

STATUS SYMBOLS

In previous articles, it was sai status could be earned, or sometimes it is afforded us by the position we hold in an organization. For example, corporate executives often are granted certain status symbols with their jobs. Many organizations feel that status is a means of rewarding an individual for a job well done. They also feel that their employees should have an image that is compatible with the company's image, so they provide status symbols (plush offices, parking spaces, company cars, company credit cards, expense accounts, and so on). Then again, some of us bring status symbols with us into our organization.

Some status symbols employees typically bring into organizations are age, ethnic background, religion, gender, parentage, competence, education, seniority, previous associates, skills, and experience. Although all employees might bring sources of status with them, a particular individual might have a higher social rank or status, because he or she came from a better or more established school than the others. It is said that an MBA from the Harvard Business School is worth the money, time, and effort, because the status it brings practically guarantees a good position with a good firm. Of course, today many organizations are attempting to meet affirmative action guidelines with qualified candidates, hence, ethnic background and gender can play a role in status.

Aside from the rather obvious status symbols that employees bring into organizations, there are many symbols we are given, or can earn. The following is a typical list of status symbols people want in organizations: good salary, job title, size and location of office, type of office furniture, furnishing, window, location of parking space, secretary, privacy, key to the building or office, clothing, company car, privileges, car phone, possessions, computer, up-to-date equipment, longer lunches, vacation, time off if needed, flexible hours, type of briefcase, plants in office, and answering machine. Most of these status symbols are visible and tangible symbols, but there are some forms of status that are not tangible or visible but can be earned. Some of these are respect of supervisors and peers, others come to you for advice, and you are generally trusted by others to do your job - people are not constantly checking on you. However, these generally take years of hard work and dedication to earn.   

 

Most organizations attempt to motivate employees by using tangible status symbols as a means of motivation. This can work for only awhile because eventually the available symbols will be exhausted. The biggest drawback with using tangible, visible symbols of status to motivate people is that there is never enough for everyone. Even massive well-funded organizations have employees who feel there is not enough status for them, or that some people have too much status while others have too little.

Too much or too little status can inhibit communication. If there is too much of a status differential, between employees they do not feel they can communicate with each other. If there is too little status differential, the supervisor is virtually like one of the subordinates, and may not command their respect. When communication between employees and supervisors is inhibited, other problems follow. Second, employees do not develop solidarity or closeness to each other. They are constantly trying to earn what little status is available, and cannot develop a solid relationship with others, or there is so much status available they are all busy competing for it. Third, too much or too little status interferes with work. People spend too much time thinking about how to get the status that is available, rather than working. Fourth, too much or too little status can cause resentment or conflict. In a system where there is too little status, people resent those who have it. Everything is relative. In a system where there is too much status, people will battle tooth and claw over it. This is not healthy competition - it is a battle.

In conclusion, status differences are always going to exist in organizations but if we let status become a barrier between us and our peers or supervisors, then the communication flow will be inhibited, and problems with solidarity, and with the work, may arise, and resentment can occur.

*SOURCE: ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION FOR SURVIVAL 3RD ED. BY VIRGINIA P. RICHMOND, JAMES C. MCCROSKEY AND LINDA L. MCCROSKEY; PGS. 128-130*

END