Skill and power at work: A Relational Inequality perspective

Skill, like the rest of social life, is socially constructed. We recognize skill because people agree that some set of behaviors or statuses signal that this person or job is more skilled than another. In this chapter we examine the relational contexts and status processes that signify skill. Our basic argument, derived from Relational Inequality Theory, is that categorical distinctions carry skill signals and that these in turn lead to value judgements as to the economic and social worth of actors. Theories of skill that reify skill as an attribute of persons or positions tend to miss the fundamental importance of relational power in defining skill in particular social settings. We reject simple stories of merit-based achievement or human capital reflected rewards in favor of a model of claims making over respect, resources, and rewards in organizational context.