ABSTRACT
In the last chapter we considered how groups change over time and how group structures develop that differentiate group members into various roles and status levels within the group. In this chapter we will extend our discussion of group structure by more fully considering group status hierarchies, with a focus on the issues of social power and leadership. When a jury picks a foreperson to be the spokesperson and coordinator of the group's activities, when a corporation names a new chief executive officer, or when we vote for a school council president, we are determining who will have social influence. Thus, power and leadership are part of the role and status structures that define the patterns of social influence in the group.
