TOWARD AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF RESPECT

This article attempts to elevate the concept of respect from the level of interpersonal characteristics to one of theoretical significance, hopefully stimulating further debate and research. 'Respect' and 'deference' are often confused, resulting in difficulties in usage. The article explores these two terms within the context of organizations. It argues that respect and deference are culturally generated and maintained forms of interactions, which makes them relevant for anthropological investigation. Culture is observed within the symbolic context and analyzed at the level of elaborating symbols for the coordination of data in order to allow for a distinction between management styles in the organizations that form the objects of study in this article. It is suggested that firms that have developed a culture of respect appear to be more successful than those that are based on deference.