Social positions and social statuses on a shop floor

Abstract

In this paper, I illustrate the institutional (and relational) sociological conception of social position and social status by a brief description of a case study. I analyse the social positions and the social statuses of the workers, as well as the determinedness of social statuses by the given social positions on a machine industrial shop floor. First, I outline the interests and social powers of the workers. Next, I map the social positions of the workers, that is, I outline the social structure of the shop floor. Then I deal with the social statuses and the social determinedness of social statuses, and finally I briefly touch upon the performance orientations of the workers.