Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-wq2xx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T16:20:15.223Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

What About the Rest of Us? The Importance of Organizational Culture in Nepotistic Environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2015

Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Science, Albion College
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson, Department of Psychological Science, Albion College, 611 East Porter Street, Albion, MI 49224. E-mail: biermeierhanson@gmail.com

Extract

To date, empirical investigations into whether nepotism, specifically, or social connection preference (SCP), generally, is positive or negative within the realm of organizational scholarship has been limited. Indeed, most of the early discussions in this field on the subject have focused on previous work done outside the organizational area (i.e., Bellow, 2003). A recent Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Organizational Frontier Series book on the subject has brought some initial attention to the subject by approaching it from multiple domains within the organizational literature (Jones, 2012). Jones and Stout (2015) have highlighted the possible advantages and disadvantages of SCPs and have taken the stand that SCPs might in fact provide more benefits than drawbacks, particularly given that formalized policies may lead to unfair discrimination.

Type
Commentaries
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bellow, A. (2003). In praise of nepotism: A natural history. New York, NY: Doubleday.Google Scholar
Biermeier-Hanson, B., Nieminen, L. R. G., & Dickson, M. W. (2012, April). The effect of nepotism on bystander job attitudes. Poster presented at the 27th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, San Diego, CA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denison, D., Lief, C., & Ward, J. L. (2004). Culture in family-owned enterprises: Recognizing and leveraging unique strengths. Family Business Review, 17, 6170. doi:10.1111/j.1741-6248.2004.00004.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dickson, M. W., Nieminen, L. R. G., & Biermeier-Hanson, B. (2012). Nepotism and organizational homogeneity: How the attraction–selection–attrition (ASA) process is accelerated by nonmerit-based decision making. In Jones, R. G. (Ed.), Nepotism in organizations (pp. 93128). New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Jones, R. G. (Ed.). (2012). Nepotism in organizations. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Jones, R. G., & Stout, T. (2015). Policing cronyism and nepotism without losing the value of social connection. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 8, 212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kotrba, L. M., Gillespie, M. A., Schmidt, A. M., Smerek, R. E., Ritchie, S. A., & Denison, D. R. (2012). Do consistent corporate cultures have better business performance? Exploring the interaction effects. Human Relations, 65, 241262. doi:10.1177/0018726711426352CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schein, E. H. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership: A dynamic view. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Schneider, B. (1987). The people make the place. Personnel Psychology, 40, 437453. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1987.tb00609.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar