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82
Taking stock of networks and organizations. A multilevel perspective
- Acad Manage J
"... The central argument of network research is that actors are embedded in networks of interconnected social relationships that offer opportunities for and constraints on behavior. We review research on the antecedents and consequences of networks at the interpersonal, interunit, and interorganizationa ..."
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Cited by 205 (6 self)
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The central argument of network research is that actors are embedded in networks of interconnected social relationships that offer opportunities for and constraints on behavior. We review research on the antecedents and consequences of networks at the interpersonal, interunit, and interorganizational levels of analysis, evaluate recent theoretical and empirical trends, and give directions for future research, highlighting the importance of investigating cross-level network phenomena. The order of authorship is alphabetical, reflecting equal contributions from the four authors. We thank all reviewers and authors who helped make this special research forum possible, and above all we thank Tom Lee for his strong support throughout this process. A quarter century of social network research in management journals has resulted in the accumulation of many findings in recent years (see, for example, Borgatti and Foster [2003] for a recent
How to Make the Team: Social Networks vs. Demography as Criteria for Designing Effective Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly 49(1
, 2004
"... We compare two alternative approaches for evaluating the potential of a work group or team: one that focuses on team members ’ demographic characteristics and one that focuses on the members ’ social networks. Given that people’s network contacts often share their demographic attributes (i.e., the n ..."
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Cited by 76 (1 self)
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We compare two alternative approaches for evaluating the potential of a work group or team: one that focuses on team members ’ demographic characteristics and one that focuses on the members ’ social networks. Given that people’s network contacts often share their demographic attributes (i.e., the network is homophilous), the two approaches seem equivalent, and the first seems preferable because it is easier to implement. In this paper, we demonstrate several important limits to this rationale. First, we argue and show, in an analysis of 1,518 project teams in a contract research and development firm, that even when internal organizational networks are significantly homophilous with respect to demographic variables, the very logic of the causal structure that underlies theories of demographic diversity carries ambiguous performance implications. This ambiguity is due to the fact that demographic diversity has opposing effects on two social network variables—internal density and external range—that each has a positive effect on a teams ’ performance. We also demonstrate that a focus on demographic criteria is problematic because the demographic makeup of an organization can place inherent limits on a manager’s ability to shape the demographic composition of a team. The ambiguous performance implications
Applying organizational research to public school reform: The effects of teacher human and social capital on student performance. Academy of Management Journal
, 2009
"... We investigated the effects of teacher human and social capital on growth in student performance in a sample of 1,013 teachers organized into 239 grade teams. We found that teacher human capital that is specific to a setting and task, and some indicators of teacher social capital, predicted student ..."
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Cited by 11 (0 self)
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We investigated the effects of teacher human and social capital on growth in student performance in a sample of 1,013 teachers organized into 239 grade teams. We found that teacher human capital that is specific to a setting and task, and some indicators of teacher social capital, predicted student performance improvement. At the team level, average educational attainment and horizontal tie strength were significant predictors of student improvement. We provide some evidence that team horizontal tie strength and density moderate the relationship between teacher ability and student perfor-mance. Implications of our multilevel analysis for theory, research, and policy are discussed. Public schools are organizations in which both intellectual and informational processes are impor-tant drivers of performance. The quality of public education has enormous civic and economic con-sequences and requires large public investments to maintain. In the United States, urban public schools are in trouble by virtually any measure (Schneider & Keesler, 2007). Beginning with the
Multilevel challenges and opportunities in social capital research
- Journal of Management
, 2011
"... Social capital refers to the resources derived from social relationships. Although the concept of social capital has been applied at the individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis, researchers have yet to fully embrace social capital’s potential as a multilevel lens through which we mi ..."
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Cited by 7 (1 self)
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Social capital refers to the resources derived from social relationships. Although the concept of social capital has been applied at the individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis, researchers have yet to fully embrace social capital’s potential as a multilevel lens through which we might better understand management and organizational phenomena. With a central objective of advancing social capital’s potential as a multilevel theoretical perspective, the authors make two contributions to the management literature. First, the authors comprehen-sively review two decades of management research to highlight how social capital has been empirically applied across levels of analysis. Second, based on the shortcomings and challenges revealed through the literature review, the authors identify and discuss avenues for future mul-tilevel research, including suggestions for both macro and micro researchers.
The „smaller‟ the school, the better? The Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) program in US high schools. Improving Schools
, 2007
"... Given the widening achievement gap between whites and students of color in US schools, Small Learning Communities have emerged as a reform measure claimed to boost achieve-ment in general and among racial minorities. This article examines this claim by reviewing the major policy documents and litera ..."
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Cited by 6 (0 self)
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Given the widening achievement gap between whites and students of color in US schools, Small Learning Communities have emerged as a reform measure claimed to boost achieve-ment in general and among racial minorities. This article examines this claim by reviewing the major policy documents and literature on SLC and analyzing SLC using Frank’s (1972) policy assessment criteria. The SLC program was found to be theoretically grounded in social capital theory, to be feasible politically and financially given strong federal and pri-vate foundations ’ support, and to have strong ethical merit given its aims of raising achieve-ment, closing the racial achievement gap and personalizing learning. Analysis of multiple standardized data sets on 193 SLC schools showed that despite modest achievement gains, the racial gap was found to still be wide, although SLC schools located in large cities where students of color predominated made consistent gains, and Hispanic students showed signif-
Social Network Structure as a Critical Success Condition for Virtual Communities
"... Virtual communities have become an important new organizational form and yet relatively little is known about the conditions which lead to their success. In an attempt to address this knowledge gap, a particular subset of virtual communities- open source software project communities- is investigated ..."
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Cited by 5 (0 self)
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Virtual communities have become an important new organizational form and yet relatively little is known about the conditions which lead to their success. In an attempt to address this knowledge gap, a particular subset of virtual communities- open source software project communities- is investigated and four hypotheses are asserted which relate social network structure to community success. The hypotheses, which are based on social network theory and related research, suggest that success is supported by high levels of affiliation with other communities, moderate levels of density within the network of community conversations, moderate levels of density in the communications between peripheral members and core members, and low levels of density in the communications between administrators and the rest of the community. Empirical research is underway to test these hypotheses based on a sample of over 200 open source software project communities.
Unlocking the influence of leadership network structures on team conflict and viability
- Small Group Research
, 2009
"... The online version of this article can be found at: ..."
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Cited by 5 (0 self)
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The online version of this article can be found at:
A measure of variations in internal social capital among family firms. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice
, 2011
"... Drawing on the social capital literature, this study develops a new measure to assess the internal social capital using a sample of family firms and its effect on economic and noneconomic performance. We collected data from two independent samples to explore the importance of family businesses&apos ..."
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Cited by 3 (0 self)
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Drawing on the social capital literature, this study develops a new measure to assess the internal social capital using a sample of family firms and its effect on economic and noneconomic performance. We collected data from two independent samples to explore the importance of family businesses' internal social capital as assessed by a new instrumentthe internal social capital among family business (ISC-FB). Results from confirmatory factor analyses, convergent and discriminant validity assessments, and predictive and incremental validity offered support for the ISC-FB's construct validity. Finally, we cross-validated the hypothesized factor structure with a second sample of family firms. Implications and future research using this measure are proposed.
Human resource systems and helping in organizations: A relational perspective
- Academy of Management Review
, 2011
"... We propose linkages among human resource (HR) systems, relational climates, and employee helping behavior. We suggest that HR systems promote relational climates varying in terms of the motivation and sustenance of helping behavior, and we expect HR systems to indirectly influence the nature of rel ..."
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Cited by 3 (0 self)
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We propose linkages among human resource (HR) systems, relational climates, and employee helping behavior. We suggest that HR systems promote relational climates varying in terms of the motivation and sustenance of helping behavior, and we expect HR systems to indirectly influence the nature of relationships and the character of helping within organizations. By considering HR systems and their respective relational climates together, researchers can gain a better understanding of expectations and dynamics surrounding helping behavior.
