Achieved Status/Ascribed Status

Dutch anthropologist Fons Trompenaars and English business professor Charles Hampden-Turner developed seven dimensions of culture that give key insights into successful international trade negotiations. The two researchers studied how people in specific countries resolve dilemmas, and based on an examination of thousands of respondents in over 100 countries, they identified seven basic dimensions for culture. International businesspeople use these dimensions when they design business strategies for different cultures, a task that is particularly important for dealing with emerging markets. One of the dimensions is achieved status versus ascribed status, which is defined below. Applications of the dimension then follow.

The concept of achieved versus ascribed status stems from the work of Talcott Parsons in his studies of social stratification, which Parsons defined as the “differential ranking of human individuals who compose a given social system and their treatment as superior or inferior relative to one another in certain socially important respects.” Parsons defines ascribed status as that which results from birth or biological hereditary qualities, such as sex, age, or inherited socioeconomic status. At the other end of the spectrum, Parsons proposes that achieved status results from personal actions, such as that accomplished through talent and hard work.

Achievement Cultures

Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner adapt Parsons' thinking on ascribed versus achieved status to the study of cross-cultural management. Thus, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner propose that an “achievement culture” is one in which people are accorded status based on how well they perform their functions, while an “ascription culture” is one in which status is attributed based on who or what a person is. Achievement cultures give high status to high achievers, such as the company's top salesperson or the drug researcher who finds a new treatment for controlling blood sugar. In an achievement-oriented culture, the first question someone may ask is “What do you do?” or “What have you done?”, thus putting an emphasis on accomplishments.

In achievement cultures, social status can be changed through social mobility, the change of position within the stratification system. Changes in status can be upward or downward. Social mobility is more frequent in societies where achievement rather than ascription accounts for one's social status. Historically, social mobility has been typical of the United States.

Ascription Cultures

Ascription cultures accord status based on age, gender, schools attended, or social connections. Perhaps the most extreme form of ascribed status was the caste system in traditional society in India. Each person's caste group was determined at birth, as children joined their parents' caste group. Moving out of one's caste was virtually impossible as each caste could only perform certain jobs. Unskilled and low-paying jobs were reserved for lower castes, while highly skilled occupations were reserved for other castes.

In organizations in an ascription culture, the person who is part of the “old boys' network” may rise faster in an organization than someone who does not interact with the network. Similarly, an organizational member who has been with the company for 25 years may be listened to more often because of the respect that others have for the person's age and tenure with the firm. Thus, in an ascription-oriented culture, the first question someone might ask is “Where are you from?” or “Who is your family?”, focusing on inherent characteristics.

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