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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back o f the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Infonnadon Company 300 North Zed) Road, Arm Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 RACE AND SEX STRATIFICATION BEHIND THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART; AN INVESTIGATION OF EMPLOYEES' INFORMAL NETWORKS IN A WORK ORGANIZATION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Gail M. McGuire, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1997 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Barbara F. Reskin, Adviser Professor Lowell L. Hargens Adviser Professor Patricia Yancey Martin Department of Sociology DMI Number: 9801745 UMI Microform 9801745 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Gail M. McGuire 1997 ABSTRACT Scholars have documented that informal networks influence workers' entry into work organizations. For example, studies have found that most workers acquire their jobs through informal contacts rather than through formal search methods. However, we have little knowledge about employees' informal networks inside work organizations. As a result, we lack an understanding of the informal mechanisms through which resources, power, and influence are distributed at work. I address this void by examining two aspects of networks at work-employees' likelihood of having high-status network members and the amount of work-related help employees receive from their network members. Using ordinary least squares regression. I examine the structural and personal determinants of these two aspects of employees' networks. This study is based upon survey data from 1150 individuals employed at a large financial services corporation. I uncovered a system of informal stratification in which power and resources were unequally distributed that was based, in part, upon employees' race and sex. Women and people of color were less likely than men and whites to have high-status network members and to receive work-related help from their network members. These race and sex differences in networks were mainly due to the fact that white women and people of color occupied organizational positions that decreased their opportunity to interact with and to attract other employees. For example, women and people of color were less likely than men and whites to occupy high-ranking positions, to exercise job power, and to hold jobs that encouraged inter-group communication. Thus, the formal system of stratification influenced with whom employees had the opportunity to form network relationships. I extended our understanding of tie strength by examining how the strength of employees' network relationships influenced the work-related help that employees received from their network members. I found that employees gained more work- related help from their strong ties than their weak ties. These results differ from job- search research, which has highlighted the importance of weak ties, because providing help at work requires more effort and motivation than does providing information on job openings. These results suggest that the "bridging" benefit of weak ties is relevant for obtaining resources that do not require much effort or risk on the part of the provider, whereas strong ties are critical for employees' ability to perform their jobs and thus success at work. Ill Dedicated to my family for all of their love and laughter IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must first thank the person who has provided support, guidance, and inspiration throughout my graduate career, Barbara Reskin, my advisor. Barbara edited probably thousands of pages of my work. She spent countless number of hours helping me to tell a good story without sacrificing empirical rigor. I thank Barbara for her patience with my frantic phone calls, such as when the computer ate Chapter 4, as well as supporting me through the difficult events that occurred in my life outside of graduate school. Barbara's integrity, insight, work ethic, and commitment to social justice all served to inspire me throughout my graduate career. I also thank Barbara for taking the difficult role of pushing me to always do better. This dissertation benefited in numerous ways by the critical and creative eye of Patricia Yancey Martin. Pat helped me to form my research question, to develop my survey instrument, and to see the "big picture. " Her comments were essential in breathing life into the numbers. Pat provided constant support and encouragement throughout the dissertation process. I thank Pat for always believing in me and in this project. I thank Lowell Hargens for his patience in teaching me statistics and for always having his door open. I also thank Lowell for his critical and candid feedback (e.g., "Bad!") at every stage of my dissertation research. I thank my cherished friend, Cynthia Pelak, for her sharp editing skills, her insightful questions, and her willingness to read a chapter at a moment's notice. She was also an outstanding envelope stuffer, along with her teammate, Jordan! Cynthia was an incredible source of support and nurmrance throughout my dissertation process. She helped me keep some semblance of emotional and mental health through our phone calls and coffee-house outings. Cynthia’s words to me, "Just tell me what you need," were such a comfort. Thank-you, Cynthia!!! I thank Michael McCrary for his insightful and thorough comments on several chapters, his feedback on my early work, and his continual offers of assistance. Michael was another lucky friend who got roped into stuffing over 1700 surveys into envelopes. Mike was always there to help me find a cite or answer a statistics question. Thank-you, Mike, for your generosity and friendship. This dissertation also benefited from the sole member of my dissertation support group—Jo Reger. My dissertation meetings with Jo helped me to set goals, to acknowledge my accomplishments, and to be patient! Jo also read early proposal drafts, survey drafts, and helped to stuff envelopes. Most importantly, I thank Jo for her friendship, her healing words, and for making me laugh throughout this dissertation process. VI I thank my buddy, Ann Marie Flores, for her years of support of and confidence in me. I don't know what I would have done without our weekly runs and venting sessions! I also thank Ann for editing chapters and helping me with the survey. Thank-you, Ann, for calling to check-up on me and for your attempts to keep me social! I thank Wayne Santoro for the many hours of labor that he provided at the beginning of this dissertation. Wayne read numerous proposal drafts, survey drafts, and early papers. He stuffed envelopes, pasted labels, and ran numerous errands. Wayne also helped me to clarify my research questions and theoretical firamework. I thank Wayne for encouraging me, believing in me, and in some instances carrying me. I also thank him for helping to make graduate school fun and for helping me to become a better scholar through our co-authorship. I offer my deep appreciation to Mark W. from USF. Mark hired me for my position at USF, helped me gain corporate approval for my study, helped organize my pilot survey, and reviewed the survey instrument. I also thank Mark for his enthusiasm for this project and his encouragement of me. Many other people contributed their skills and time to this project as well. Patricia Drentea and Shana Pribesh edited chapters and Kim Davies reviewed early papers. I thank Herminia Ibarra for sharing her survey instrument and Karen Campbell for reviewing my survey instrument. Dick Haller and Joan Amfield both provided essential computer assistance. Thanks to Andrew Newman for helping me with initial conceptualizations. I thank Bob Kaufman for always being available to answer a vii statistical question. Special thanks to Katherine Brown for her comradeship and for providing me with a model of feminist scholarship and activism. I thank my family—Dad, Mom, Colleen, Sharon, John, Gary, Missy, Rachael, Zachary, Jacob—for all of the love and support they gave me through graduate school. In particular, I thank my two sisters, Colleen and Sharon, for nurmring me and for keeping me grounded. I thank Dad for filling our household with political discussions about social problems and for cultivating my passion for understanding and changing social inequality. Finally, I thank my mother for encouraging me to be curious about the world, to ask why, and to take joy in the process of discovery.