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THE ROLE OF STATUS DIFFERENTIALS IN GROUP SYNCHRONIZATION

Time in Groups

ISBN: 978-0-76231-093-7, eISBN: 978-1-84950-259-7

Publication date: 8 April 2004

Abstract

Drawing from findings in sociology and anthropology on time as a symbol of status, this paper examines the role that status differentials affect how group members internally align the pace of their activities over time (group synchronization). We examine the psychological process of group synchronization from the perspective of the individual, the nature of status differentials in work groups, and how one’s status within a group affects a person’s willingness to adjust the timing of his/her activities to match other people’s timing. We then identify three types of status structures within work groups and analyze how each affects the group’s ability to synchronize. We close by considering the implications of our approach for better understanding temporal dynamics in work groups.

Citation

Chen, Y.-R., Blount, S. and Sanchez-Burks, J. (2004), "THE ROLE OF STATUS DIFFERENTIALS IN GROUP SYNCHRONIZATION", Blount, S. (Ed.) Time in Groups (Research on Managing Groups and Teams, Vol. 6), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 111-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1534-0856(03)06006-7

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2003, Emerald Group Publishing Limited