Power Status

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When it comes to small groups there have been thousands of studies done to look at the interworking’s of these groups. Some studies may look at group dynamics, while others focus on the processes of the group. In Patricia Hayes Bradley’s, article “Power, Status, and Upward Communication in Small Decision Making Groups” she investigates further into how power and status influence the way people talk and act toward individuals within a group. From the study conducted by Bradley and her associates, we have received an insight into the dynamic relationship between those of high power statues and those of low power status.
To begin the article the author outlined the basic theory that they were trying to prove. This theory presented is the Theory …show more content…
This in turn results in a unique interaction between low power people who feel the need to speak and act differently around those they consider to have high power (Bradley, 2010). In the study, the two independent variables were power and status, although power ended up being the focus due to results received in the study. The dependent variables they were studying for were neutrality, unreasonableness, friendliness, frequency of statements, and length of statements (Bradley, 2010). After conducting many questionnaires and hypothetical situations on college students and professors at an unnamed university, they found some supportive results to their theory. According …show more content…
The first and most obvious overlap was the use of the term “power”. According to our textbook “power is the ability to influence the attainment of goals sought by yourself or others” (Rothwell, 2010). Power can really be two fold. First by those who use it for good, or second by those who want to misuse it. This idea of power also plays into another idea expressed in class, which is that of role status. Role Status is “the perception of power associated with certain roles [that] give them more sway in groups” (Rothwell, 2010). I personally thought this article hit the nail on the head. Through my own personal experience, I would say I definitely act different around those I consider to have more power. A prime example of this is the relationships I have with my professors. If someone has control over how well I do in the class, if I succeed, and possibly what opportunities I have in the future, I would definitely say they have high power. This in turn causes me to react in similar ways as the dependent variables listed above (increased friendliness, more reasonableness, etc.). This is also true for me in a workplace when it comes to how I act around my boss. He controls how much I am paid and how frequently I work. That is definitely someone I want to be on a good side with. I feel this has a lot to do with what we have been taught our
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