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Pathways to Power: Class, Hyper-Agency and the French Corporate Elite

Maclean, Mairi; Harvey, Charles; Kling, Gerhard

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Authors

Mairi Maclean

Charles Harvey

Gerhard Kling



Abstract

This paper explores pathways to power from the perspective of the French corporate elite. It compares those who enter the ‘field of power’ with those who fail to reach this final tier. Adopting an innovative econometric approach, we develop and test three hypotheses. These underline the pivotal role of external networks and the strategic advantage of hyper-agency in maintaining power; and indicate that social origin remains a powerful driver in determining success. Birthright and meritocracy emerge as two competing institutional logics which influence life chances. Higher-status agents benefit from mutual recognition which enhances their likelihood of co-option to the extra-corporate networks that facilitate hyper-agency. The objectification of class-based differences conceals their arbitrary nature while institutionalizing the principles informing stratification. We re-connect class analysis with organizational theory, arguing that social origin exerts an enduring influence on selection dynamics which inform processes of hierarchical reproduction in the corporate elite and society at large.

Citation

Maclean, M., Harvey, C., & Kling, G. (2014). Pathways to Power: Class, Hyper-Agency and the French Corporate Elite. Organization Studies, 35(6), 825-855. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840613509919

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Jan 22, 2014
Publication Date Jun 1, 2014
Deposit Date Dec 18, 2013
Publicly Available Date Jun 6, 2019
Journal Organization Studies
Print ISSN 0170-8406
Electronic ISSN 1741-3044
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 35
Issue 6
Pages 825-855
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840613509919
Keywords Bourdieu, elite careers, field of power, French corporate elite, hyper-agency, institutional logics, social class, social mobility

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