GÉRER & COMPRENDRE English language online selection 2016 - N° 2 A SERIES OF ANNALES DES MINES YEAR 2016 - N° 2 Published with the support FONDFOUNDEDÉES EN IN 1794 1794 of the Institut Mines Télécom 03 47 Stratification in academia as a status order: Regulating molecules “without data”: A Weberian proposition The REACH of “prohibition through Sébastien DUBOIS authorization” Associate professor, NEOMA Business School, and Henri BOULLIER, SOMMAIRE associate researcher, Centre de Sociologie des PhD in Sociology and postdoctoral research at the Organisations, Sciences-Po Centre de Recherche Médecine, Sciences, Santé, [French version: March 2016 - n°123] Santé Mentale, Société (CERMES3) [French version: December 2016 - n°126] 11 The internationalization strategies of 55 French and German firms: Two different The conditions for a successful mentoring models relationship: The followup on young Pierre-André BUIGUES and Denis LACOSTE graduates Professors of strategy at Toulouse Business School [French version: June 2016 - n°124] Damien COLLARD, associate professor (Université de Franche-Comté) & researcher (Cenre de Rcherche en Gestion des 20 Organisations, Université de Bourgogne) The Gribeauval system, or the issue of Nathalie RAULET-CROSET, associate professor (IAE de Paris I) & researcher standardization in the 18th century (Centre de Recherche en Gestion, École Héloïse BERKOWITZ and Hervé DUMEZ Polytechnique) Jean-Baptiste SUQUET, (i3-CRG, École Polytechnique, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay) adjunct professor (Neoma Business School) & associate researcher (Institut de Recherche en [French version: September 2016 - n°125] Gestion, Université de Paris-Est Marne la Vallée) and Laure AMAR, 28 research associate (Centre de Recherche en When innovation implied corporate reform: Gestion, École Polytechnique). A historical perspective through the writings [French version: December 2016 - n°126] of Walther Rathenau 63 Blanche SEGRESTIN, Professor (CGS, Mines ParisTech, PSL Research High-reliability organization seen through University) interstitial activities [French version: September 2016 - n°125] Jérémy EYDIEUX, doctoral student in Managerial Sciences (École des 35 Mines de Nantes, Institut Mines-Télécom), The incompatibility of worlds within a Benoît JOURNE, multinational corporation: The experience university professor of Managerial Sciences (Université de Nantes, IEMN-IAE) and associate of a French expat in a Mexican factory professor (École des Mines de Nantes, Institut Mines-Télécom), Michel VILLETTE and Centre Maurice Halbwachs, ENS/EHESS/CNRS Stéphanie TILLEMENT, François FOURCADE assistant professor of Industrial Sociology (École ESCP Europe des Mines de Nantes, Institut Mines-Télécom) [French version: September 2016 - n°125] [French version: December 2016 - n°126] 2 GÉRER & COMPRENDRE - ENGLISH LANGUAGE ONLINE SELECTION - 2016 - N° 2 Stratification in academia as a status DUBOIS order: A Weberian proposition Sébastien Sébastien DUBOIS Associate professor, NEOMA Business School, and associate researcher, Centre de Sociologie des Organisations, Sciences-Po [French version: March 2016 - n°123] Increasing stratification in higher education is analyzed by using the concept of a status order. In Max Weber’s work, “status” refers to ranks in a social hierarchy based on prestige; and persons of like rank tend to assemble and form a status group. Recent research has redefined status as signaling a “quality” that organizes relations between people as they form groups. These two lines of research are crossed to identify the processes that divide academia into various status groups and thus produce, despite individuals’ merits, structural inequality. This approach is grounded on an empirical study of Organization, a journal supported by a group of critical, “postmodern” academics, whose key members come from the same universities (mostly English and, to a lesser extent, Australian and Scandinavian). nequality in the academic world is glaring. In et al. 2010), or even the same social group (ÖZBILGIN management studies,(1) the situation is evolving 2009). As Murphy and Zhu (2012) have shown, toward a “world championship of scholarship” with 66% of the authors published in the twelve major Iits winners and losers (MURPHY & ZHU 2012:916). (four-star) management journals and 86% of the According to Podsakoff et al. (2008), 5% of scholars members of these journals’ editorial boards were accounted for 55% of citations and published more Anglo-American (United States, Canada, United than a quarter of the articles in the most prestigious Kingdom). The French represented 2% of the authors journals. With reference to Google Scholar, 5% of and 2.1% of editorial board members — about as much scholars produced a quarter of the research (articles, as Germans. books, working papers); and with reference to the Scopus data base, 5% of researchers represented Unless the conclusions are to be drawn that about 50% of the articles and 80% of citations Anglo-Americans are massively “better” scholars (COURTAULT et al. 2010). than others and that, owing to their talents, they merit This inequality does not result from merit alone, as this concentrated representation, does this inequality several studies would like to believe (PODSAKOFF not entail social processes that beg to be explained? et al. 2008). If it did, we would have to admit that an I do not claim to provide herein an exhaustive or overwhelming proportion of the most meritorious come, systematic explanation of how academia operates. “as if by chance”, from English-speaking lands and from My intent is, instead, to propose a grid for interpreting the same universities and doctoral schools (BEDEIAN this inequality with the help of the concepts of “status” and “status order”. (1) Despite the focus herein on managerial studies, the situation The concept of status order (PODOLNY 1993) clearly does not differ much in other disciplines. In the two postulates that the social recognition (status in Podolny’s systematically top-ranking journals of sociology (American Journal words) enjoyed by individuals leads to a relatively of Sociology and American Sociological Review), from 90% to 95% of the authors are American (GINGRAS & WARREN 2006). stable social stratification over time. This implies that Once again, we must draw the conclusion either that American forms of inequality stem from social structures instead sociologists are extraordinarily talented or else that the social of the qualities of individuals. The status order tends to processes in operation have led to the overwhelming domination reproduce itself though the processes whereby people of sociology by a few scholars with similar profiles. This article has been translated from French by Noal Mellott (Omaha Beach, form groups and choose to associate with each other as France). a function of their respective positions. GÉRER & COMPRENDRE - ENGLISH LANGUAGE ONLINE SELECTION - 2016 - N° 2 3 To pursue this line of inquiry, this article draws on both on the East Coast of the United States at the end of the Max Weber’s legacy and recent discussions to examine 19th century. Status confers the material or symbolic how the concept of status can help us conceive of privileges attached to a respected social position, for the social hierarchy and equality. The second part of example, the opportunity to keep company in a given this article shows how this concept sheds light on the social circle or to gain access to a certain profession. It organization of the academic world. In the last part, bears an offer of resources. Unlike class, status makes the example of the journal Organization serves to for community, a point to which we shall return. examine in detail the argument that the academic field of management studies is organized in relatively closed Revival of the concept status groups through a control over the admission of The concept of status has spurred several recent new members. In the Weberian sense, we thus come publications (PIAZZA & CASTELLUCCI 2014). For face to face with the phenomenon of “closure”. Podolny (1993:830), whose writings have contributed to this revival, “a producer’s status is defined as the degree to which market participants perceive the quality The concept of status of its product to be superior to that of its competitors.” Status serves to signal quality in an uncertain situation, The Weberian legacy since there usually exists a stable and, in general, TRIAL BY FACT BY TRIAL The concept of status has its origin in the work of Max positive linkage between the producer’s status and the Weber (1864-1920). Status and class underlie the quality of the proposed products. Weberian analysis of social stratification. Much caution Partnerships between firms (for example, of a company is needed when interpreting Weber’s brief notes about manufacturing a recognized brand of computer chips this concept in the unfinished fourth chapter of the first with a computer-maker) so clearly signal information volume of Economy and Society (Weber 1978, 1995) about the expected quality of products that Podolny has and the other scattered references to it. The Weberian advanced the argument that a firm’s status changes as concepts of status and class have prompted much of a function of its alliances. A firm grows stronger when the thought devoted to social stratification (KURZMAN it associates with a higher-status partner; or on the et al. 2007). contrary, weaker when associating with a lower-status partner. According to Robert Merton, products will be On the one hand, Weber’s writings refer class — in evaluated better if they come from a high-status firm line with Marx — to the economy, i.e., to the inequa- than products of like quality from a low-status firm. As lity of revenues: “a probability which derives from the a consequence, the high-status firm will, for a lower relative control over goods and skills and from their production cost, be able to propose its products at a income-producing uses within a given economic order” higher price; and the low-status company will have (WEBER 1978, vol. I, p. 302). A class groups individuals trouble competing. who share the same economic situation, and thus the means of controlling and using goods.