Cultural models of self and social class disparities at organizational gateways and pathways

Townsend, Sarah S. M.; Truong, Mindy

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.05.005

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Miller, Cho, & Bracey, 2005; Snibbe & Markus, 2005) and that they need to show deference to authority and to know their place in the hierarchy (Stephens et al, 2014). Research also suggests that employees from working-class backgrounds tend to feel uncomfortable with the idea of displaying or feigning confidence, which is inconsistent with the norms of interdependence (Townsend & Truong, 2017). Although proponents of cultural mismatch theory have not directly investigated the relationship between social class and overconfidence, their observations are consistent with our hypothesis that individuals with relatively high social class tend to be more overconfident compared with their lower-class counterparts.…”

Section: How High (Versus Low) Class Contexts Shape Overconfidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, research suggests that people generally believe that acquiring positions of high social rank often requires a pragmatic, independent, and Machiavellian approach (Belmi & Laurin, 2016). Because individuals with relatively low social class are strongly guided by interdependent and communal norms (Stephens et al, 2012, 2014; Townsend & Truong, 2017), they may see positions of high social rank as undesirable. Second, related research on social stratification has also found that members of advantaged groups tend to enjoy a host of benefits from being at the top (e.g., Phillips & Lowery, 2018); therefore, individuals with relatively high social class may desire positions of high social rank to maintain their elevated position and advantages (e.g., Kraus & Keltner, 2013).…”

Section: How High (Versus Low) Class Contexts Shape Overconfidencementioning

confidence: 99%

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The social advantage of miscalibrated individuals: The relationship between social class and overconfidence and its implications for class-based inequality.

Belmi

Neale

Reiff³

et al. 2020

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

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Understanding how socioeconomic inequalities perpetuate is a central concern among social and organizational psychologists. Drawing on a collection of findings suggesting that different social class contexts have powerful effects on people's sense of self, we propose that social class shapes the beliefs that people hold about their abilities, and that this, in turn, has important implications for how status hierarchies perpetuate. We first hypothesize that compared with individuals with relatively low social class, individuals with relatively high social class are more overconfident. Then, drawing on research suggesting that overconfidence can confer social advantages, we further hypothesize that the overconfidence of higher class individuals can help perpetuate the existing class hierarchy: It can provide them a path to social advantage by making them appear more competent in the eyes of others. We test these ideas in four large studies with a combined sample of 152,661 individuals. Study 1, a large field study featuring small-business owners from Mexico, found evidence that individuals with relatively high social class are more overconfident compared with their lower-class counterparts. Study 2, a multiwave study in the United States, replicated this result and further shed light on the underlying mechanism: Individuals with relatively high (vs. low) social class tend to be more overconfident because they have a stronger desire to achieve high social rank. Study 3 replicated these findings in a high-powered, preregistered study and found that individuals with relatively high social class were more overconfident, even in a task in which they had no performance advantages. Study 4, a multiphase study that featured a mock job interview in the laboratory, found that compared with their lower-class counterparts, higher-class individuals were more overconfident; overconfidence, in turn, made them appear more competent and more likely to attain social rank.

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Section: How High (Versus Low) Class Contexts Shape Overconfidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: How High (Versus Low) Class Contexts Shape Overconfidencementioning

confidence: 99%

The social advantage of miscalibrated individuals: The relationship between social class and overconfidence and its implications for class-based inequality.

Belmi

Neale

Reiff³

et al. 2020

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…as job candidates negotiate job offers) and pathways (i.e. as employees negotiate for preferred assignments, raises, or promotions (Townsend and Truong, 2017)). Beyond translating into less desirable work situations and outcomes for lower-SCB employees, this inequity may lead to less effective workforce talent utilization for employers (Pitesa and Pillutla, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Believe to achieve? Understanding how social class background impacts the effects of achievement striving on propensity to negotiate

Simon

Corwin

Tilton

et al. 2022

JMP

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PurposeNegotiation is important for career success. Therefore, this study draws from social expectancy and self-regulation theories to develop a model proposing that social class background (SCB) influences the ease with which achievement striving translates into propensity to negotiate. Specifically, the authors examine how SCB moderates the relationship between achievement striving and negotiation propensity via a key mediator—status-based identity uncertainty—reflective of one's (un)certainty about their societal standing.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data across three surveys over a four-week period from 460 participants. The authors assessed negotiation propensity by asking participants to rank-order behavioral reactions, representative of different degrees of negotiation engagement, in response to three scenarios.FindingsThe positive effects of achievement striving on negotiation propensity are attenuated for individuals with lower SCBs, in part, because achievement-oriented individuals with lower SCBs experience a heightened sense of status-based identity uncertainty. Although achievement striving is an asset for initiating negotiations, it appears to disproportionately benefit those with higher SCBs.Originality/valueIndividuals higher in achievement striving and with lower SCBs may approach the negotiation process differently than those with higher SCBs. This dynamic serves as another mechanism through which cumulative (dis)advantage processes in career success may occur over time.

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“…Higher-status individuals are more likely to extract benefits from the network (Menon and Smith 2014 ; Smith et al 2020 ) and are more assertive in tie-formation (Smith et al 2012 ). Accordingly, those in higher social positions are more confident in forming ties that will generate personal gains, whereas those in lower social positions instead form communal orientations and increasingly empathize with the needs of others (Kraus et al 2012 ; Townsend and Truong 2017 ).…”

Section: Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic status and entrepreneurial networking responses to the COVID-19 crisis

2022

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Networks play a vital role for entrepreneurs in overcoming crises. The most vulnerable to crises are those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. However, we know less about the role of socioeconomic status in entrepreneurial networking. This study investigates whom entrepreneurs call in case of emergency. We develop hypotheses on how entrepreneurs’ socioeconomic status influences models of networking agency in situations of economic threat. The results of a pre-registered randomized experiment in the COVID-19 context conducted with 122 entrepreneurs from the US indicate that entrepreneurs in higher socioeconomic status positions activate contacts to serve their own goals (i.e., independent networking agency) when facing an economic threat. In contrast, and counter-intuitively, entrepreneurs of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to support others when facing an economic threat (i.e., interdependent networking agency). Exploring the evolving network structure, our explorative post-hoc analyses suggest that entrepreneurs activate closer networks (i.e., higher density and stronger ties) under threat. The study discusses the implications of these findings for the theory of entrepreneurial networking in general and network responses to crises in particular.

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Cultural models of self and social class disparities at organizational gateways and pathways

Cited by 14 publications

References 58 publications

The social advantage of miscalibrated individuals: The relationship between social class and overconfidence and its implications for class-based inequality.

The social advantage of miscalibrated individuals: The relationship between social class and overconfidence and its implications for class-based inequality.

Believe to achieve? Understanding how social class background impacts the effects of achievement striving on propensity to negotiate

Socioeconomic status and entrepreneurial networking responses to the COVID-19 crisis

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