It\u27s Who You Are and Who You Know: Relating Personal and Coworker Status To Individual Work Outcomes

In organizations, the advantages of having higher informal status relative to one\u27s coworkers are well documented. This study extends research on status in organizations to analyze the status of one\u27s coworkers as a factor that shapes all individual\u27s own work experiences. In this field study of three organizations, naturally emergent informal status hierarchies in organizations were analyzed to examine independent effects of one\u27s own informal status position, as well as the average status level of his coworkers, on the individual\u27s work outcomes. Results show one\u27s own status position positively relates to her performance and organizational commitment, and, after controlling for one\u27s own status, the average status of his coworkers independently contributes to his or her performance, motivation, and organizational commitment