This article attempts to elevate the concept of respect from the level of interpersonal characteristics to one of theoretical significance, hopefully stimulating further debate and research. 'Respect' and 'deference' are often confused, resulting in difficulties in usage. The article explores these two terms within the context of organizations. It argues that respect and deference are culturally generated and maintained forms of interactions, which makes them relevant for anthropological investigation. Culture is observed within the symbolic context and analyzed at the level of elaborating symbols for the coordination of data in order to allow for a distinction between management styles in the organizations that form the objects of study in this article. It is suggested that firms that have developed a culture of respect appear to be more successful than those that are based on deference.

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For about two decades, U.K. public sector organizations have undergone a period of rapid change generated by political pressure. This has been particularly true of the probation service, where the implementation of new agency objectives has led to a change in working methods and in the duties undertaken by certain members of staff. Social work, the `traditional' symbol of the probation service, which had been valued by staff, was allowed to atrophy, as it was seen to be incompatible with the new objectives for the organization that were orchestrated by the government. The adoption of new management methods has helped to generate new attitudes to social work and to stimulate the promotion of different approaches to the control of staff.

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