Educational Affiliations and Intra-Organizational Allocations of Labor
Georgetown McDonough School of Business Research Paper No. 2456843
Humanistic Management Network, Research Paper Series No. 11/15
47 Pages Posted: 28 Jun 2014 Last revised: 21 Mar 2015
Date Written: February 12, 2015
Abstract
Labor markets research documents how educational credentials shape inter-organizational allocations of labor through the matching of individuals to employers. We argue that educational credentials also shape intra-organizational allocations by affecting the placement of employees into formal work structure. This core proposition is supported by analyses of data from the U.S. legal services industry. First, an industry-level analysis of large law firms reveals that two lawyers who graduated from the same law school are more likely to be allocated to the same work group than two lawyers who graduated from different law schools. Second, an analysis of a single, international law firm reveals that two lawyers who graduated from the same law school are more likely to be allocated to the same hierarchical work relationship than two lawyers who graduated from different law schools. Implications of our findings for literature on networks, labor markets, and social stratification are discussed.
JEL Classification: L20, L23, J40
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation