Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 9  Communicating in Groups 261

power than others. In some groups, status is formally defined by a clear hierar-
chy: the military, for example, operates on a hierarchy of leadership with officers
outranking enlisted troops. But status is also informally conferred: a charismatic
or especially competent military recruit may emerge as a leader and gain status
among her peers even if she does not outrank them. That kind of perceived sta-
tus—based not in any kind of formal rules but instead on peoples’ perceptions of
one another—can be potent.
A number of factors have been shown to increase perceptions of status.
For example, status can be gained through having access to material resources
or information that other group members do not have (Poole & Hollingshead,
2005). Similarly, physical attractiveness has been known to enhance a group
member’s status (Webster & Driskell, 1978, 1983). Gender may play a role, too,
as males have traditionally had higher status and participation rates and greater
access to resources and information than females (Carli, 1999; Ellyson, Dovidio,
& Brown; Smith-Lovin, Skvortz, & Hudson, 1986). Of course, as mentioned
in the foregoing military example, people can also earn status through their own
competence or communicative effectiveness as they participate in the group.
Within groups, those with higher status are given more opportunities to
make contributions toward completing the task, their suggestions are often
evaluated more positively, and they exert greater influence over lower-status
members (Berger, Wagner, & Zelditch, 1985). Perceptions of higher status can
lead to those group members having greater influence even if they don’t have
any formal power. The “popular kids” at a high school, for example, may have
more influence on school events than the elected student council. All of these
vagaries are at play in the popular British period drama Downton Abbey, which
depicts the goings-on at a stately manor house in the early twentieth century.
The Granthams, the aristocratic family that lives in the home, have a high status
conferred on them not only by wealth but also by noble title. Within the family,
the men are afforded more status than the women, who cannot inherit the estate

WHEN CHAUFFEUR

Tom marries the youngest

Grantham daughter, both

family and staff struggle to

figure out where he fits into

the hierarchy of the estate.

Joss Barratt/©PBS/Courtesy Everett

Collection

CONNECT

Status is often pertinent in

the workplace—especially

between supervisors and

supervisees. To settle well

into a company’s organiza-

tion culture, it’s necessary

to carefully foster this rela-

tionship. In Chapter 11, we

give tips on how to interact

with a supervisor or super-

visee in a professional and

courteous way.