Development of a bipartite measure of social hierarchy: The perceived power and perceived status scales

Abstract

Abstract Recent advances in social hierarchy research highlight that power and status are two prevalent but distinct bases of hierarchy. However, these distinctions have yet to be thoroughly explored in contexts where power and status coexist and can covary. This is, in part, due to the lack of an appropriate measure capable of capturing power and status as distinct constructs. In order to advance research on social hierarchy and bridge the empirical findings from social psychology research to organizational research, this paper outlines the development of a 12-item bipartite measure of perceived power and perceived status. Using seven samples, we develop a psychometrically sound measure and provide evidence of construct validity. Our results not only support the importance of distinguishing between these two prevalent bases of social hierarchy, but also highlight the potential dangers of capturing one base of hierarchy without accounting for the other.