From Resistance to Reform: How Power and Status Hierarchies Offer Insights for Understanding and Addressing Diversity-related Challenges

Abstract: Although hierarchy and diversity are common features of most modern organizations, these constructs have generally been studied in isolation, limiting our understanding of how hierarchical processes shape diversity-related outcomes. Through five complementary papers, this symposium leverages the distinction between power and status hierarchies to examine why organizational diversity challenges persist and how to address them. The first paper provides the theoretical foundation by highlighting that power and status differentially affect social relations: status engenders mutual dependence while power begets asymmetric relationships. Building on this framework, the second paper reveals that men specifically resist women's gains in power (versus status), suggesting that the asymmetric nature of power hierarchies make outgroup members’ power advancements particularly threatening to dominant groups. The third paper examines how women proactively navigate professional hierarchies, showing that concerns about status denial from former peers lead women to pursue external (versus internal) promotions as a "fresh start." The fourth paper introduces status acuity—the ability to perceive informal status dynamics—demonstrating that individuals who better understand status relationships show reduced bias in evaluating marginalized groups. Finally, the fifth paper reveals how targets’ demographic identities influence support for hierarchy reversals, showing greater support for resource redistribution when it advantages marginalized racial groups. Together, these papers suggest that inequality may be maintained (and disrupted) through the complex interplay between hierarchical processes and social identity. By examining how different bases of hierarchy are perceived, resisted, and navigated by different groups, this research advances both theory and practice toward creating more equitable organizations.

Keywords: hierarchy, diversity, power, status, gender