Social Network Dynamics

The informal relationships that employees form with one another constitute an important means by which knowledge is disseminated in organizations. Although the importance of social networks is well established in management research, our understanding of how organizational networks change over time is still in its infancy. This program of research therefore examines the antecedents and outcomes of social network change in organizations. Active field research projects include: 1) examining the impact of network change on employee attitudes in the wake of a merger at a large consumer goods firm, 2) a multi-year examination of the coevolution of networks and employee attachment at a large governmental agency, and 3) a longitudinal study of social networks and creativity at a Chinese engineering organization.