The nature and process related to perceived social status among faculty members

Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the nature and process related to perceived social status among faculty members in Iran. By using a qualitative research design, 20 faculty members interviewed. Data were analyzed by exploratory thematic analysis. Analyzing the data showed that faculty member’s perceived social status something like a gap or distance between existing and ideal status in their professional and social life in university and society. Judgement of faculty members about social status suggest that social status for academic jobs degraded in social hierarchies. Furthermore, finding revealed four categories including organizational, institutional, managerial, political and personal process as the main categories. It seemed the need for reconstructing social status would be the linking process between categories and it is convincing to consider that as the main theme in data. According to findings, it seems perceived social status is constructed in university and it is influenced by a number of structural and personality process. Social status has degraded for academic jobs but universities could reconstruct social status by modifying organizational, institutional, managerial and political process. In addition, applying indices related to social status could be effective for selecting volunteers for academic jobs.
Keywords
Social status
faculty member
Perceived organizational support
Management
perceived organizational politic
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