Who Am I at Work? An Examination of Employee Caste Status, Peer Influence Centrality, and Work Performance

Who Am I at Work? An Examination of Employee Caste Status, Peer Influence Centrality, and Work Performance

• Professor of Management Smriti Anand

Abstract:

Diversity research is yet to examine how certain important social identities affect employees’ work outcomes. Employees of Indian origin (over 15 percent of the world population) are custodians of and burdened by a unique social hierarchy of caste. We develop a theory on caste as an important facet of employee diversity in organizational scholarship. Drawing upon social identity and self-categorization theories and integrating with social exchange theory we propose a process and context model linking employee caste status to work performance. Specifically, we assert that employee caste identity provides valued resources enabling job performance and citizenship behaviors. We contend that this positive relationship is conferred through employees’ central position in the peer influence network. Finally, we reason that the quality of employees’ relationships with leaders and coworkers further shapes the effects of employee caste status on centrality in network and work performance. Multi-level modeling using time-lagged, three-source data from 352 employees, 321 peers, and 31 managers showed support for our hypotheses. Our research reveals the mechanism of caste-based advantages in the workplace and suggests directions for future research.

 

All Illinois Tech faculty, students, and staff are invited to attend.

The Friday Research Presentations series showcases ongoing academic research projects conducted by Stuart School of Business faculty and students, as well as guest presentations by Illinois Tech colleagues, business professionals, and faculty from other leading business schools.