Affective responses to professional dissimilarity: A matter of status
Chattopadhyay, P., Finn, C. P. and Ashkanasy, N. M. (2009-12) Affective responses to professional dissimilarity: A matter of status. Academy of Management Journal, 53 6: .
We argue that, when status differences between lower- and higher-status team members are well-established, intergroup relations are driven by status-competition among higher-status team members and collaboration among lower-status team members. Consistent with these arguments, we found that higher-status team members facing higher levels of professional dissimilarity (i.e. working with higher proportions of lower-status team members) reported fewer instances where colleagues accused them of incompetence or breached norms of professional conduct; the latter resulting in lower levels of negative emotions and negative behaviors. Lower-status team members reported higher levels of these outcomes when working with higher proportions of higher-status team members.