Stratification Theory and Organizational Rank

A lthough the literature on both social stratification a d complex organizations has become rather voluminous, there does not appear to be any test of stratification theory in the ranking of organizations. There is a good deal of interest, though, in the phenomenon of organizational prestige (Caplow, 1964; Perrow, 1961; Thompson, 1967) and especially prestige in American universities (Cartter, 1966; Gross and Grambsch, 1968; Roose and Anderson, 1971). Klatzy's (1970) recent study of organizational inequality treats another important but neglected aspect of organizational stratification. Somewhat in keeping with the strong tendency toward functionalism in American sociology, much of the concern with organizational prestige follows a functionalist orientation. Perrow (1961), for example, is concerned with the functions and