Preface

Advances in Group Processes publishes peer-reviewed theoretical analyses, reviews, and theory-based empirical chapters on group phenomena. The series adopts a broad conception of “group processes.” This includes work on groups ranging from the very small to the very large, and on classic and contemporary topics such as status, power, trust, justice, social influence, identity, decision making, intergroup relations, and social networks. Previous contributors have included scholars from diverse fields including sociology, psychology, political science, economics, business, philosophy, computer science, mathematics, and organizational behavior.

This year we added an editorial advisory board to the series to broaden the review process and draw upon the expertise of some of the top scholars in the discipline. That board consists of Stephan Bernard, Jessica Collett, Karen Hegtvedt, Michael Hogg, Will Kalkhoff, David Melamed, and Jane Sell. This group of scholars has made the series better and we are grateful for their service, guidance, and advice.

The first two chapters address aspects of networks and exchange. The volume opens with a new look at a classic social psychological theory: balance theory. In “The Enemy of My Friend Is Easy to Remember: Balance as a Compression Heuristic,” Matthew E. Brashears and Laura Aufderheide Brashears assert that balanced networks are preferred because they serve as a “compression heuristic.” The key premise is that balanced networks are more easily encoded in memory and thus more easily remembered. Data from a randomized laboratory experiment are largely supportive of the claim. The chapter is unique in that it brings together lines of research from cognitive science, anthropology, and the social networks literatures. Even more important is that it stretches a classic social psychological theory in new directions. Next, Nathaniel A. Nakashima and Francis J. Flynn examine processes that promote coordination and activity in generalized exchange relations in “Social Projection in Generalized Exchange.” Specifically, the authors argue that when people overestimate the similarity of their own attitude and those of others (called social projection) then the capacity for generalized exchange is increased. This principle is developed into a set of original predictions regarding social projection and generalized exchange. The chapter contributes broadly to the areas of exchange, cooperation, and social cognition.

The next two chapters examine social psychological processes in organizational contexts. In “Identity Contests and the Negotiation of Organizational Change,” Michael Schwalbe, Tricia McTague, and Kylie Parrotta examine a common but undertheorized organizational phenomenon, that is, collective responses to identity threats in organizations. Drawing from multiple traditions in the identity area, these authors examine identity threats that occur in two case studies. The first is a women’s roller derby league and the second comes from an upscale grocery store engaged in unionizing efforts. The analysis examines how individuals and organizations respond to identity threats from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Overall, the chapter should attract scholars interested in identity dynamics and organizational change. The next study links levels of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to organizational attachment and intent to leave the organization. In “What Makes Employees Zealous Supporters of Their Firm’s CSR Initiative? The Role of Employees’ Perceptions of Their Firm’s CSR Authenticity,” Jeongkoo Yoon and SooJung Lee develop a theory that links CSR practices to employee turnover via the kinds of attributions that employees make regarding the firm. The theoretical model is tested with a sample of 450 employees from 38 Korean companies that were included in the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Overall, the findings support these hypotheses. This chapter sheds light on the importance of the attributional process in overall business practices.

The following two chapters target status processes. Reef Youngreen and Jay Byron present new experimental evidence regarding minority influence processes in “Minority Influence, Status, and the Generation of Novel Ideas.” Blending theories of minority influence and status characteristics, these authors show how groups exposed to minority views generate more creative ideas. The mechanisms at work include how members consider ideas, examine alternatives to the majority view, and produce new ideas not yet considered. This work creatively extends well-understood status processes into the purview of minority influence in groups. A second chapter using status characteristics theory shows how this theory makes somewhat contradictory predictions compared to affect control theory. In “Status and Identity Pivot Points in Social Interaction,” Christopher D. Moore and Christabel L. Rogalin identify three potential pivot points – that is, moments in social interaction when status and identity processes overlap. The authors then go on to suggest ways that these can help to resolve the apparent conflict between status characteristics and affect control theory and suggest ways these ideas may be examined empirically. The chapter will be of much interest to scholars in the status and/or identity traditions.

Next, Susan R. Fisk examines how gender-based differences in risk-taking behaviors contribute to women’s underrepresentation at the top of social and professional hierarchies in “Gender Stereotypes, Risk-Taking, and Gendered Mobility.” Fisk brings together ideas from social psychology, economics, sociology, and the decision sciences to illustrate how risk-taking among women is attenuated due to descriptive gender stereotypes. Overall, the chapter traces the important implications for gender mobility and larger scale stratification patterns. A key strength of the chapter is to link micro-decision making processes with larger macro stratification patterns. The chapter will interest scholars of gender, stratification, mobility, and decision making. Finally, Catherine J. Taylor, Laura Freeman, Daniel Olguin Olguin and Taemie Kim test the prototype of a new device involving sociometric badges that house small microphones to measure stress responses to group processes in “Deviation in Voice Pitch as a Measure of Physiological Stress Response to Group Processes.” The device measures voice pitch and this measure is then compared to levels of salivary cortisol. The results indicate that subjects who experience a stress response also have greater deviation in voice pitch compared to those not stressed. The exciting aspect of this chapter is that it demonstrates how an inexpensive wearable device can unobtrusively measure and record important information regarding a stress response.