Hierarchical rank determines which personality traits employers need in a worker
Evidence
While respect for rules, dependability, and internalization of norms are required to some extent by all workers, there are important qualitative differences between levels. These tend to follow directly from differences in the scope of independent decision-making which increases with hierarchical status. Thus the lowest level of worker must simply refrain from breaking rules. On the highest level, the worker must internalize the values of the organization, act out of personal initiative, and know when not to go by the book. In between, workers must be methodical, predictable, and persever ing; at a somewhat higher level, they must respond flexibly to superiors whose directives acquire a complexity transcending the relatively few rules that apply directly to their tasks. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America, 900
Categorization
- XREF: The executive demand ‘to know when not to go by the book’ is a striking micro-observation that echoes the theme of rule-bending competence discussed elsewhere in this book. — connects to: Workplace hierarchy requires personality traits, not cognitive skills, from workers — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America:…, 896; Positive stereotyped traits become double-edged liabilities in incongruent roles — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 195; Positively stereotyped traits become liabilities when mismatched to role requirements (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Trait evaluation is context-dependent and flips with role fit
#expands(0.88) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 197 - Positive stereotyped traits become double-edged liabilities in incongruent roles
#corroborates(0.85) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 195 - Positively stereotyped traits become liabilities when mismatched to role requirements
#corroborates(0.82) - Abstractly negative traits turn positive in roles that reward them
#corroborates(0.80) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 197 - Frontline work structure, not worker prejudice, creates receptivity to stereotypes
#corroborates(0.78) — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 844