The ties that lead: A social network approach to leadership

The effects of workplace friendship network centrality on deep acting

We integrated social network theory with conservation of resource theory to predict that workplace friendship network centrality provides service employees with critical psychological resources that foster deep acting: positive affect and positive self-perception. In Study 1, we conducted a survey (N = 105) in a Korean banking firm, revealing that these resources mediate the relationship between workplace friendship network centrality and deep acting. Studies 2 and 3, both experimental studies, investigated the hypothesized causal relationships. In Study 2 (N = 151), we found that workplace friendship network centrality increases the intention toward deep acting. Further, Study 3 (N = 140) confirmed the direct effects of friendship network centrality on positive affect and self-perception. By providing insights into the structural antecedents of emotional labor, we inform managers in service organizations of the value of creating avenues for their employees to form and maintain friendships within the organization.

Reviewing the potentials of MMOGs as research environments: A case study from the strategy game Travian

Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) provide many opportunities for scientists. Previous research ranges from personality trait prediction to alternative cancer treatments. However, there is an ongoing debate on whether these virtual worlds are able to represent real world scenarios. The mapping of online and offline findings is key to answering this question. Our work contributes to this discussion by providing an overview of the findings from network-based team and leadership research and by matching them with concrete results from our MMOG case study. One major finding is that team size matters. We show that high diversity in the type of teams is a major challenge, especially when combined with the immense amount of data in MMOGs. In our work, we discuss these issues and show that a well-grounded understanding of the data and the game environment makes it possible to overcome these limitations. Besides the team size, the aggregation periods play an important role. Regarding MMOGs as research environments, we show that it is important to pay close attention to the specific game-related contexts, the incentive structures, and the downside risks. Methodologically, we apply support and communication networks to show the influence of certain group-based measures (e.g., density, transitivity) as well as leadership-centered characteristics (e.g., k-core, group centrality, betweenness centralization) on team performance. Apart from our findings on centralization in communication networks, we are able to demonstrate that our results confirm the theoretical predictions which suggest that the behavioral patterns observed in MMOG teams are comparable to those observed in offline work teams.

Formal Mentoring and Protégés’ Leadership Development: The Roles of Protégés’ Informal Mentoring Networks, Political Skill, and Gender

We seek to better understand how formal mentoring may impact protégés’ leadership development by arguing that protégés’ informal mentoring networks help explain the relationship between formal mentoring and two protégé leadership development outcomes: motivation to lead and promotability. We also argue that protégés’ political skill and gender serve as boundary conditions of these mediated relationships. Using 100 South Korean mentor-protégé dyads in four organizations across three points in time, we find that a higher level of formal mentoring is positively associated with the quality of protégés’ informal mentoring networks, which, in turn, is positively associated with protégés’ motivation to lead, but not protégés’ promotability. We also find that the relationship between a higher level of formal mentoring and the quality of protégés’ informal mentoring networks is strengthened when protégés have a higher level of political skill. In addition, we find that female protégés obtain more informal mentoring networking benefits from their formal mentors than male protégés. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The integrated effects of leader-member exchange social comparison on job performance and OCB in the Chinese context

Although it has been long recognized that leader-member exchange social comparison (LMXSC) has critical implications for employee productivity, little attention has been given to systematically exploring the effects of LMXSC on employee performance in a specific cultural context. Integrating social exchange theory with social comparison theory, we examine a dual process model to explain how and when LMXSC affects employee performance outcomes in the Chinese context. Results based on multiphase, multisource data from China revealed that the mediating roles of employees' perceived obligation toward the leader and self-esteem are examined simultaneously in the relationship between LMXSC and job performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Additionally, guanxi strengthens the connection between LMXSC and perceived obligation, while Zhongyong thinking erodes the connection between LMXSC and self-esteem. Taken together, these findings enhance our understanding of LMXSC in China.

Actors' awareness of network governance in Child Welfare and Healthcare service networks

To ensure that families with social and behavioral health problems get the support they need, organizations collaborate in child service networks. These networks are generally lead-organization governed. It is assumed that network members have relatively accurate information about the governance mode. However, discrepancies between the formally administered and perceived governance mode could raise legitimacy questions and lead to conflicts, and ultimately affect network effectiveness. Therefore, we investigated to what extent such discrepancies exist and how they might be explained. Hereby, the focus was on the concepts level of trust, interaction, and strength of relationship with the lead organization in the network. A comparative case study was conducted of three inter-organizational networks of child services in different-sized municipalities in the Netherlands in 2018 and 2019. A multiple generalized linear mixed model analysis was used. We found that only a minority of the network members had an accurate perception of the governance mode. This awareness did improve over time. The level of interaction and relationship strength with the lead organization were independently associated with an accurate perception of the governance mode. Trust of a network member in the network, however, had no significant association. These insights underline the necessity to consider network information accuracy as an important variable for understanding network behavior and as crucial for the effective delivery of child services.

How social context impacts the emergence of leadership structures

In leadership research, it has proven useful to understand leadership as a relational phenomenon and to conceptualize leadership structures as networks of leader-member ties. Currently, research further highlights the dynamic nature of these structures and examines their emergence in more detail to uncover the underlying mechanisms. In this literature, emergence is conceptualized as social exchange in teams and investigated experimentally. This paper argues that by doing so, the influence of social context has been neglected. I draw on findings from broader tie-formation research to substantiate the influence of social context and to tackle the conceptual shortcoming. Drawing on this rich literature, I identify eight mechanisms that explain in detail how four dimensions of social context ( Culture, Social Networks, Population Characteristics, and Opportunity Patterns) shape the formation of leader-member ties. Finally, I derive 13 propositions based on these mechanisms. These propositions, on the one hand, provide solid starting points for further empirical research. On the other hand, they indicate that the underexposure of social context has led to an overly positive picture of emergent leadership in the current literature. They suggest that much more often than assumed so far, the wrong people become and remain leaders.

Social hierarchies and social networks in humans

Across species, social hierarchies are often governed by dominance relations. In humans, where there are multiple culturally valued axes of distinction, social hierarchies can take a variety of forms and need not rest on dominance relations. Consequently, humans navigate multiple domains of status, i.e. relative standing. Importantly, while these hierarchies may be constructed from dyadic interactions, they are often more fundamentally guided by subjective peer evaluations and group perceptions. Researchers have typically focused on the distinct elements that shape individuals' relative standing, with some emphasizing individual-level attributes and others outlining emergent macro-level structural outcomes. Here, we synthesize work across the social sciences to suggest that the dynamic interplay between individual-level and meso-level properties of the social networks in which individuals are embedded are crucial for understanding the diverse processes of status differentiation across groups. More specifically, we observe that humans not only navigate multiple social hierarchies at any given time but also simultaneously operate within multiple, overlapping social networks. There are important dynamic feedbacks between social hierarchies and the characteristics of social networks, as the types of social relationships, their structural properties, and the relative position of individuals within them both influence and are influenced by status differentiation. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.

From strong leadership to active community engagement: Effective resistance to illegal coca crops in Afro-Colombian collective territories

In this paper, we study whether leadership and community organisation can explain differences in the presence and expansion of coca crops in rural Afro-Colombian collective territories. Following a mixed-method approach that combines the analysis of satellite imagery, semi-structured interviews and household surveys, our results suggest that leadership and community organisation help explain differences in the presence of illegal coca crops by activating pre-existing 'stocks' of social capital that enable rural Afro-Colombian communities in the country's southern Pacific region to resist the penetration and/or expansion of illegal coca crops. Results also show that resistance is more effective when the interests and strategies of leadership and communities are aligned. We argue that the effectiveness and sustainability of resistance depend on: (a) the stock of social capital that determines organisational capabilities, (b) the specific normative content with which this capital is infused, (c) the legitimacy and influence of leadership on the community, and (d) synergies among different levels of grass-root community organisation. We conclude that investing in social capital and community capabilities is thus one way to reorient policy interventions, a goal to which the Colombian state can only partially contribute given its policy priorities and structural limitations.

Comparative organizational network analysis considering formal power-based networks and organizational hierarchies

Comparative organizational network analysis makes it possible to identify the similarities and differences between organizations according to the content of their networks. This research is a comparative study of organizational networks based on formal power. To accomplish this goal, networks were developed in three organizations from different sectors with workers distributed in high, middle and operational levels in the organizational hierarchy. For the study, 100% of the workers within the identified networks were included. The results indicated that, considering centrality and connectivity network indices, there were no statistically significant differences between organizations according to formal power network behavior. However, we obtained statistically significant differences in terms connectivity and centrality considering the workers’ hierarchy. The representative nodes of high and middle hierarchical levels had higher indices of connectivity and centrality than the nodes representative of the operational level. This study makes it possible to identify the formal roles within networks based on legitimate power, which can serve as a basis for decision-making processes and resource allocations, for the strategic use of the networks created.

Stay Humble and Fly High: The Roles of Subordinate Voice and Competitive Work Context in the Linkage Between Leader Humility and Career Success

This study examines the relationship between leaders’ humility and their career success. We propose that humble leaders are more likely to occupy central positions in their subordinate teams’ voice networks where they improve their own performance and gain favorable reward recommendations. We also argue that in seemingly disadvantageous competitive work contexts, humble leaders become more central in the team voice network and increase their career prospects. We found support for these hypotheses in a multisource field study of 116 supervisors, 461 subordinates, and 34 shop managers from a Chinese company and in a vignette-based experiment with 233 working adults. Theoretical and practical implications for career success, leader humility, and voice literature are discussed.

The Business Model of Sustainable Competitive Advantage through Strategic Leadership Capabilities and Knowledge Management Processes to Overcome COVID-19 Pandemic

In recent decades, particularly during the outbreak of COVID-19, businesses organizations have focused on knowledge management processes in order to attain a sustainable competitive advantage by creating human and social capital as strategic leadership capabilities. This paper aims to develop an integrated conceptual and theoretical framework that connects strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage for the public and private organizations within the service industry. The model approach has been used to build a theoretical framework that predicts the relationships between the variables. To support the link between them, a systematic literature review of traditional and contemporary theoretical and empirical research studies is conducted. Through the combination of the related literature, propositions are established. This conceptual research is primarily comprised of a model and assertions concerning strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage. The outcomes of this study reflect that strategic leadership capabilities can accomplish sustainable competitive advantage. They also have the greatest potential to impact sustainable competitive advantage via engaging the knowledge management processes. Particularly, there are significant implications of this study. Regarding the theoretical implication, it contributes to the resource-based view, knowledge-based view, and knowledge creation theory in supporting strategic leadership capabilities, knowledge management processes, and sustainable competitive advantage. To the practical implication, the study linked the concepts of research variables for public and private enterprises within the service industry. It can also enable strategic leaders and businesses owners to participate in real-time opportunities and determine threats for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a preliminary study of the sustainable competitive advantage literature that includes the concept of strategic leadership as a knowledge management processes enabler for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Until now, there has not been any work like it in the literature, save in the qualitative style.

Farmer social networks: The role of advice ties and organizational leadership in agroforestry adoption

With the decline in public budgets for agricultural extension support, ties between members of farmer groups are becoming more important to facilitate information transfer about agroforestry. This paper examines the role of social network ties in predicting organizational leadership in an agroforestry-based farmer group. Using social network data derived from interviews with members of farming groups based in the Ayeyarwady Delta of Myanmar, we established a positive relationship between advice-seeking ties and organizational leadership. In other words, farmers who were highly sought for agroforestry advice were more likely to be elected as leaders of the farmer group. Results show the frequency of interactions through advice-seeking ties also had a positive influence on the probability of farmers holding leadership positions. We found a core–periphery structure for the advice networks, whereby farmer leaders were overrepresented at the network core. Interestingly, general members of the farmer group were also in the core of the core-periphery structure, suggesting that engaging with farmers without leadership roles can also effectively disseminate agroforestry information to peripheral farmers. We conclude that farmer groups are valuable in agroforestry adoption and persistence and further analyses of formal leadership structures are needed to support more transparent and accountable governance.

Distributed IT championing: A process theory

Championing is key to the success of an IT implementation. Recently, changes in the nature of technologies used in organizational contexts and changing organizational structures call for a renewed focus on IT championing to explain its distributed nature. Following an analytic induction approach and drawing from semi-structured interviews with 37 practitioners (physicians, residents, nurses, IT staff, and administrators) in three healthcare-related settings, the study conceptualizes distributed IT championing as a process constituted of multiple individuals’ behaviors, unfolding over time, that proactively go beyond formal job requirements in support of an IT implementation. While multiple individuals may enact similar championing behaviors, the data indicate that multiple individuals may also enact distinct, yet complementary, championing behaviors over the course of the IT implementation. Overall, distributed IT championing evolves through cycles of distinct stages of bridging-in, bonding, and bridging-out, with each stage being shaped by different dimensions of social capital. Also, IT artifacts that are particularly generative appear more conducive to distributed IT championing than closed ones. This article contributes to extant literature on IT championing by developing a process model of distributed IT championing in the context of an IT implementation.

Linking responsible leadership with financial and environmental performance: determining mediation and moderation

Purpose

Drawing upon the institutional theory, this study examines the influence of responsible leadership on firm performance. Furthermore, this research investigates environmental management practices (EnvMP) as an underlying mechanism and institutional pressures as boundary condition between responsible leadership and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Time-lagged data were collected using survey-questionnaire from 385 mid-level employees of construction industry in Pakistan. Partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data.

Findings

Results demonstrate that responsible leadership impacts firm performance (financial and nonfinancial) directly and through EnvMP. Furthermore, institutional pressure moderates the link between responsible leadership and EnvMP. However, moderated mediation effect of intuitional pressures was found insignificant.

Practical implications

This study suggest that EnvMP is a key process through which responsible leadership influences firms' financial and nonfinancial performance and shed lights as to when responsible leaders matter most in terms of firm performance through low or high institutional pressures.

Originality/value

This paper is an early attempt which contributes to the body of literature on responsible leadership by investigating mechanisms (how) and boundary condition (when) through which responsible leadership influences firms' financial and environmental performance.

Exploring the potential for collective leadership in a newly established hospital network

PURPOSE

Achieving integrated care is a key focus for health systems and has resulted in various structures between and within organisations. The reorganisation of the Irish health system into hospital networks/groups aims to encourage work across hospitals to integrate care. This study evaluated if collective leadership emerged over time through increased interaction and collaboration following the organisation of hospitals into a network. A secondary aim was to elucidate the potential for collective leadership, through understanding the barriers and enablers perceived by participants.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

This study employed social network analysis and qualitative interviews. Leaders across the hospital group were invited to participate in an online network survey and interviews (analysed using thematic analysis) at three time points over an 18-month period.

FINDINGS

Although there was evidence that some parts of network were beginning to operate collectively, the structures observed were more typical of a hierarchical network. Disruption in the network and uncertainty regarding permanence of the organisational structure had a negative impact on the potential for collective leadership. Yet, progress was evident in terms of establishing building blocks for collective leadership and integration, including developing trust, mutual understanding and creating space for change.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

This study contributes to the literature by reflecting on the mechanisms and initiatives perceived as enabling/inhibiting collective leadership. Based on this research, it is important to communicate a clear and consistent message about the plans for the organisations involved and be clear regarding the roles and expectations for those involved in introducing new approaches to leadership and integration. Honest collaboration, openness and certainty in communication will likely be important in order to help create the contextual conditions to enable collective and system approaches to introduce "stepping stones" to change. These conditions include developing interpersonal relationships between leaders, creating time and space for deep and shared reflection, and enhancing trust among colleagues.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

A key strength of this study is the linking of leadership-as-networks theory with social network methods to investigate collective leadership in practice. This study contributes to the literature by reflecting on the mechanisms and initiatives perceived as enabling/inhibiting collective leadership.

Exploring the impact of decentralized leadership on knowledge sharing and work hindrance networks in healthcare teams

This paper adopts an explanatory sequential mixed method design to explore the impact of decentralized (vs. centralized) leadership on cross-functional teams' resource exchanges at a long-term care facility in Canada. In the quantitative phase, social network analyses were used to examine the direct and moderated effects (via leader–follower relationship quality; LMX) of the presence of formal decentralized leaders on: (1) knowledge sharing, and (2) work hindrance networks within cross-functional healthcare teams. In the qualitative phase, team members were interviewed regarding the impact of their decentralized leaders. Collectively, the findings suggest that the presence of a decentralized leader may enhance knowledge sharing and safeguard against work hindrance behaviors in cross-functional healthcare teams. However, these effects are contingent on the situation (e.g., LMX quality and status-based hierarchies). Implications for research and healthcare practice are discussed.

Brokers Compensate for Leader–Member Exchange Differentiation

Abstract. Due to the relevance of innovations for organizational success, we investigated the impact of (relative) leader–member exchange (LMX) on individual- and team-level perceptions of the climate for innovation (PCI) as well as whether the presence of an individual with a high LMX relationship who plays a mediating role for individuals with lower LMX relationships during team meetings (i.e., a broker) moderates the effects of LMX differentiation. We conducted multilevel analyses of self-assessment and video data from 286 employees in 45 innovation teams. The results confirm the positive effect of (relative) LMX (RLMX) on PCI. The negative effect of LMX differentiation on PCI is not present in teams with a broker. Finally, individuals with high RLMX play a more central role in meetings than those with low RLMX.

A leader–network exchange theory

Purpose

We propose an integrative model of how leaders (individual level) effectively relate to their social networks as a whole (network level). Additionally, we focus both on the leader constructs and the followers shared constructs about those networks.

Design/methodology/approach

Our conceptual paper uses the integration of literature from two main bodies of knowledge: individual and shared cognitions, fundamentally from psychology, and a structural perspective, mainly from sociology, organisational studies and social network analysis. We take a psycho-structural approach which allows the emergence of new perspectives on the study of leadership and more specifically on the study of relational leadership.

Findings

We propose a leader-network exchange (LNX) theory focussed on the behaviours and cognitions of leaders and followers as well as the relations between them.

Research limitations/implications

Our model represents a new perspective on leader–followers relationship by stressing the importance of both followers and leaders' cognitions. We highlight the importance of the relationships between followers on the creation of shared meaning about the leader.

Practical implications

Our model helps leaders and managers make sense of the cognitions and behaviours of their teams. By considering the teams characteristics, i.e. cognitions and network structure, it allows leaders to adopt the most appropriate behaviours for effective leadership. Leadership and management development programmes designed around our model will enhance the use of networking skills.

Originality/value

Contrary to the traditional view of LMX, our approach considers the social context of leaders and followers. It also adds a new layer of knowledge going beyond what members think of their leaders by considering the social networks of leaders and followers.

How does the Leader's Centrality affect Team Performance Assessment? Testing the Role of Leader's Satisfaction

The study aims to test how the association between leader's centrality (outdegree and betweenness) in the group network, considering both workflow and friendship ties between leader and members, and the perception of team performance is mediated by the leader's satisfaction with the team. The research included a total of 74 formal leaders of organizational teams from several organizations. Total, direct and indirect effects were calculated through the estimation of an OLS regression-based mediation model, controlling for team size. Results revealed that only leader's outdegree and betweenness centrality in the team friendship network positively predicted the leader's perception of team performance. In contrast to the predictions, a significant negative indirect effect of outdegree centrality of the leader within the team workflow network on the evaluation of group performance through leader's satisfaction was observed. Also, both leader´s outdegree and betweenness centrality levels in the friendship network were shown to have a positive effect on leader's assessment of team performance through leader's satisfaction with the team. Overall, findings point to the negative effects of leader's centrality in the workflow team network and the positive effects of leader's centrality in the friendship team network on his/her attitudes toward the team. The effects of the more or less central position of the leader within each of the group networks are discussed.

Exploring the Networking of Academic Health Science Leaders: How and Why Do They Do It?

PURPOSE

Networking is essential to leadership effectiveness in the business context. Yet little is known about leadership networking within the academic health science context. If we are going to train academic leaders, we must first understand the relational, network-based activities of their work. The purpose of this study was to explore how academic health science leaders engage in networking activities in the academic health science context.

METHOD

A constructivist grounded theory approach guided our study. The authors interviewed 24 academic health science leaders who were enrolled in the New and Evolving Academic Leadership program at the University of Toronto and used social network mapping as an elicitation method. Interviews, which were conducted between September 2014 and June 2015, explored participants' networks and networking activities. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the interviews, with attention paid to identifying key networking activities.

RESULTS

Academic health science leaders were found to engage in 4 types of networking activities: role bound, project based, goal/vision informed, and opportunity driven. These 4 types were influenced by participants' conception of their role and their perceived leadership work context, which in turn influenced their sense of agency.

CONCLUSIONS

The networking activities identified in this study of academic health science leaders resonate with effective networking activities found in other fields. The findings highlight that these activities can be facilitated by focusing on leaders' perceptions about role and work context. Leadership development should thus attend to these perceptions to encourage effective networking skills.

Peer knowledge sharing and organizational performance: the role of leadership support and knowledge management success

Purpose

This study aims to focus on a particular type of intra-organizational knowledge sharing that is referred to as peer knowledge sharing. This paper examines how peer knowledge sharing impacts firms’ financial and innovation performance, and the mechanism through which such a relationship is realized. The study also evaluates the extent to which leadership support acts as a key antecedent to peer knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on social capital theory and a knowledge-based view of firms, a theoretical model and related hypotheses are presented for testing. A survey design methodology is used to collect data and test the model. Structural equation modeling is used to test the hypothesized relationships based on data collected from 330 knowledge workers in various service-based organizations in Turkey.

Findings

The results indicate that the extent of employees’ engagement in knowledge sharing behavior with their peers and their managers’ leadership support exert a positive impact on organizations’ knowledge management success, which, in turn, can affect organizations’ innovation performance positively and, subsequently, their financial performance. Leadership support of the immediate manager is found to be an important factor that contributes to the respondent’s peer knowledge sharing behavior. The proposed model’s invariance testing between male and female respondents revealed that peer knowledge sharing’s contribution to knowledge management success may be different in the two groups.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to extant research on knowledge sharing by specifically focusing on peer knowledge sharing and reinforcing leadership support’s importance on knowledge sharing. The study also highlights the importance of knowledge management success as an important mediator necessary for linking individual knowledge management behaviors, such as peer knowledge sharing, with organizational performance.

Originality/value

Knowledge sharing is a topic of continuing interest for organizational researchers, yet limited empirical research has been conducted that links individual-level, intra-organizational knowledge sharing to organizational performance. This study examines this linkage and provides empirical support for this relationship, while simultaneously pointing to an important type of knowledge sharing that occurs within organizations, referred to as peer knowledge sharing.

THE INFLUENCE OF NETWORK BUILDING ON THE INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR OF SELF-MONITORING INDIVIDUALS: INTEGRATING PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL CAPITAL PERSPECTIVES

Network building ability is an important skill that has positive implications for individuals’ innovative work behaviour. Although high self-monitors are capable of building strategic relationships, little is known about how this capability helps these individuals innovate in service organisations, particularly generating, promoting and realising innovative ideas. We proposed that network building ability may act as an important mediator through which self-monitoring links to innovative work behaviour. Using structural equation modelling to analyse 417 completed questionnaires from employees in the United Arab Emirates service sector, we found that high self-monitors were more likely to have high network building abilities, which in turn help support their innovative work behaviour. The evidence suggests that network building ability fully mediates the relationship between self-monitoring and idea generation and idea promotion, while partially mediating the relationship between self-monitoring and idea realisation. We discuss the theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the study.

Developing global organizational leaders’ social capital (take out “introduction”)

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to better understand what components impact the creation of organizational leaders’ social capital. The study further seeks to illuminate the effects of participating in a leadership development seminar on the creation of social capital in global contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was collected through questionnaires from 540 leaders across 69 countries of a global firm. The hypotheses that were developed from existing literature were tested using regression analysis. Quantitative scales were created by averaging the responses to the pertinent survey items. The reliability of these scales was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha. Factor analysis was performed to assess whether the items from each scale measure distinct constructs.

Findings

The results of this research showed effects of three components (interactive opportunities, individual-owned resources and motivational interactivity constraints) on social capital. Specifically, the research substantiated that these components differently impacted advice ties and social relations.

Research limitations/implications

The study showed that firm leaders’ advice ties and social relations were differently impacted by identified components. With this in mind, organizations need to consider how they enhance and maintain the balance between advice ties and social relations among their leaders.

Originality/value

Empirical testing targeting organizational leaders in a global firm helped reveal findings in which variables impact their social capital. Based on the findings, this paper presents a framework that shows the identified components’ impacts on social capital ties and social relations.

Public network leadership and the ties that lead

This study explores how certain characteristics of the network structure, such as autonomization and connectivity, differently combine with individual leadership in order to produce high network performance. Data gathered through a survey of 265 networks for homecare assistance shed light on three different paths simultaneously leading to network success. First, the presence of autonomy from government (autonomization) appears to be able to ensure network success, irrespective of the other conditions. Secondly, the presence (or absence) of an individual network leader combines differently with the network’s connectivity. Sparsely connected networks seem to require a network leader, forging agreements and leading partners towards a common objective. On the contrary, in highly connected networks, it is the intensity of network ties that appears to lead the network (the network leader seems to be not important). These networks seem to be leaderless, but not necessarily leadershipless.

The Integration of People and Networks

Social networks involve ties (and their absence) between people in social settings such as organizations. Yet much social network research, given its roots in sociology, ignores the individuality of people in emphasizing the constraints of the structural positions that people occupy. A recent movement to bring people back into social network research draws on the rich history of social psychological research to show that ( a) personality (i.e., self-monitoring) is key to understanding individuals’ occupation of social network positions, ( b) individuals’ perceptions of social networks relate to important outcomes, and ( c) relational energy is transmitted through social network connections. Research at different levels of analysis includes the network around the individual (the ego network), dyadic ties, triadic structures, and whole networks of interacting individuals. We call for future research concerning personality and structure, social network change, perceptions of networks, and cross-cultural differences in how social network connections are understood.

Does Social Capital Increase Innovation Speed? Empirical Evidence from China

Past studies have suggested that social capital is a sustainable competitive advantage that leads to sustainable organizational growth and performance. However, few studies have explored how innovation speed moderates the relationship between social capital and sustainable organizational performance in China where the government plays key roles in promoting sustainable development goals. This paper develops a “social capital-innovation speed-performance” framework to investigate the mechanism of social capital influencing innovation speed, which in turn affects sustainable organizational growth and performance. Based on data collected from 125 Chinese firms, hierarchical moderated regression analyses indicate that structural social capital positively affects sustainable organizational performance but has no significant impact on sustainable innovation speed; relational social capital has no significant impact on sustainable organizational performance and is negatively correlated with innovation speed; cognitive social capital positively correlates with sustainable organizational performance and affects innovation speed, and government ties affect sustainable organizational performance and positively impact innovation speed. The study findings suggest that in China, increasing government ties is the most important social capital in creating sustainable organizational growth and performance. Both cognitive social capital and government ties are conducive to accelerating innovation speed, which gives firms a sustainable competitive advantage to achieve sustainable organizational performance.

Leadership in informal stormwater governance networks

Recent transitions in the governance of urban stormwater, specifically developments that leverage the environmental and social benefits of green infrastructure (GI) including infiltration and neighborhood stabilization, often require capacities beyond those of any single municipal- or regional-scale organization. In many cities, transitions toward green stormwater infrastructure have been shepherded by networks of individuals spanning a diversity of organizations from governments to NGOs. These networks are often informal, that is, not established by legal mandate, governing authority, or formal agreement, and are often striking for their lack of formal hierarchy or formal leadership. Previous scholarship has revealed the importance of leadership in the development and efficacy of these multiorganizational, cross-sector environmental governance networks, but research has yet to empirically investigate and characterize informal network leaders within the context of GI for stormwater mitigation. To address this gap, we designed and administered a social network analysis (SNA) survey to individuals in a regional network of GI stormwater management professionals in and around Cleveland, Ohio USA. We collected network data on individual relationships, including collaboration and trust, and tested the impact of these relationships on peer-recognition of leaders in the GI network. Our findings suggest that network size, frequency of collaboration, and individual position within the network—specifically, betweenness centrality and openness—defined and likely supported leaders in the stormwater governance network. Leaders in this non-hierarchical, multi-institution context were more likely to be women and brokerage roles within the network benefitted women, not men, which contrasts with previous findings from research on single-organization and corporate networks. The implications of this research suggest that informal environmental governance networks, such as the GI network investigated, differ substantially from the generally more hierarchical networks of organizations. This finding is useful for municipalities and regional authorities grappling with complex environmental challenges, including transitions in strategies to manage excess stormwater for the protection of municipal drinking water sources and urban freshwater ecosystems.

What's Next in Complex Networks? Capturing the Concept of Attacking Play in Invasive Team Sports

The evolution of performance analysis within sports sciences is tied to technology development and practitioner demands. However, how individual and collective patterns self-organize and interact in invasive team sports remains elusive. Social network analysis has been recently proposed to resolve some aspects of this problem, and has proven successful in capturing collective features resulting from the interactions between team members as well as a powerful communication tool. Despite these advances, some fundamental team sports concepts such as an attacking play have not been properly captured by the more common applications of social network analysis to team sports performance. In this article, we propose a novel approach to team sports performance centered on sport concepts, namely that of an attacking play. Network theory and tools including temporal and bipartite or multilayered networks were used to capture this concept. We put forward eight questions directly related to team performance to discuss how common pitfalls in the use of network tools for capturing sports concepts can be avoided. Some answers are advanced in an attempt to be more precise in the description of team dynamics and to uncover other metrics directly applied to sport concepts, such as the structure and dynamics of attacking plays. Finally, we propose that, at this stage of knowledge, it may be advantageous to build up from fundamental sport concepts toward complex network theory and tools, and not the other way around.

Adapting Leadership Perceptions Across Tasks: Micro-Origins of Informal Leadership Transitions

Relational theories of leadership emphasize the relevance of dynamic changes of informal leadership structures in teams, especially when teams are confronted with new tasks. In this study, we examine how leadership perceptions change in a new task and focus on two potential moderators: interpersonal contact and perceived change in competence allocation. We confronted existing student teams with a new and nonroutine task in the laboratory, during which we assessed team members’ interpersonal face-to-face contact via infrared using wearable sensors. We conducted multilevel analyses focusing on leadership perceptions on the relational level as outcome. Results show that leadership perceptions were relatively stable across tasks. However, team members changed these leadership perceptions more if they had more interpersonal contact with others and if they perceived a shift in competence relations. We discuss theoretical implications regarding informal and shared leadership research and practical implications regarding leadership development, as well as team diagnostics and interventions.

The role of network ties to support implementation of a community pharmacy enhanced services network

BACKGROUND

Limited evidence exists on how to integrate community pharmacists into team-based care models, as the inclusion of community pharmacy services into alternative payment models is relatively new. To be successful in team-based care models, community pharmacies need to successfully build relationship with diverse stakeholders including providers, care managers, and patients.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study are to: (1) identify the role of network ties to support implementation of a community pharmacy enhanced services network, (2) describe how these network ties are formed and maintained, and (3) compare the role of network ties among high- and low-performing community pharmacies participating in an enhanced services network.

METHODS

Using a semi-structured interview guide, we interviewed 40 community pharmacy representatives responsible for implementation of a community pharmacy enhanced services program. We analyzed for themes using social network theory to compare network ties among 24 high- and 16 low-performing community pharmacies.

RESULTS

The study found that high-performing pharmacies had a greater diversity of network ties (e.g., relationships with healthcare providers, care managers, and public health agencies). High-performing pharmacies were able to use those ties to support implementation of NC-CPESN. High- and low-performing pharmacies used similar strategies for establishing ties with patients, such as motivational interviewing and assigning staff members to be responsible for engaging high-risk patients. High-performing pharmacies used additional strategies such as assessing patient preferences to support patient engagement, increasing patient receptivity towards enhanced services.

CONCLUSIONS

Community pharmacies may vary in their ability to develop relationships with other healthcare providers, care management and public agencies, and patients. As enhanced services interventions that require care coordination are scaled up and spread, additional research is needed to test implementation strategies that support community pharmacies with developing and maintaining relationships across a diverse group of stakeholders (e.g., healthcare providers, care managers, public health agencies, patients).

Finding the leaders: an examination of social network analysis and leadership identification in STEM education change

BACKGROUND

Social network analysis (SNA) literature suggests that leaders should be well connected and can be identified through network measurements. Other literature suggests that identifying leaders ideally involves multiple methods. However, it is unclear using SNA alone is sufficient for identifying leaders for higher education change initiatives. We used two sets of data, teaching discussion network data taken at three different times and respondent nominations for leaders, to determine whether these two methods identify the same individuals as leaders.

RESULTS

Respondent-nominated leaders have more direct and indirect ties on average than non-leaders, which aligns with the SNA literature. However, when looking at individuals as leaders, many respondent-nominated leaders would not be identified using SNA because they are poorly connected. Also, many individuals who were not nominated would have been considered leaders because they are well connected. Further examining these results did not indicate why there is such a difference between the SNA-identified and respondent-nominated leaders.

CONCLUSIONS

While these two methods identify some of the same individuals as leaders, there are many differences between the two methods. Using just one method may not be adequate for ensuring that suitable individuals are selected to lead these projects. We recommend multiple methods when selecting leaders.

Organizational Social Capital: Ties Between HRD, Employee Voice, and CEOs

Growing employee voice increases the likelihood that employees will engage in discretionary efforts to share potentially useful information, express opinions, or concerns about work-related issues to their supervisors and other leaders in the organization. We develop a conceptual model and a series of propositions to examine and analyze the underlying mechanisms that enhance employee voice. Specifically, we identify linkages and connections between human resource development (HRD) practices, organizational social capital (OSC), and the role of CEOs as facilitating environmental or situational mechanisms that have implications on voice behavior. HRD can play a key role in helping employees foster social capital, leading to employee voice in the organization. When CEOs extend their existing internal social networks, and engage in conversations with workers, this dialogue serves as a visible artifact and reverberates across the organization. Our propositions move beyond framing employee-related voice outcomes as a result of either HRD practices or CEO influence. Rather, we postulate an outcome of their interdependent interactions. Implications for HRD research and practice are discussed.