Be Careful What You Wish For: The Effects of Issue Interpretation on Social Choices in Professional Networks

Abstract

This research examines the role of agency and choice in how individuals use social networks. Prior research has addressed how individual characteristics such as status and the ability to accurately perceive network ties influence individuals’ social choices in a given situation. In contrast, we examine how individuals’ interpretation of the issues in a situation affects their social choices and access to social capital. How individuals interpret issues influences which contacts they consider most valuable in that situation. This assessment in turn influences social choices, such as from whom to seek advice. In a study of school managers or principals, respondents solicited 362 contacts for advice in a simulated problem-solving exercise. The findings revealed that managers solicit advice from different kinds of contacts depending on whether the managers frame the issues strategically or politically. When they frame the issues strategically, their egocentric advice network consists of contacts they perceive to have more expertise and material resources. When they frame the issues politically, their egocentric advice network comprises contacts they perceive to have more influence and to be more trustworthy. When managers have indefinite issue frames, they seek advice by relying more on general criteria, such as expertise, trust, and their typical frequency of interaction with contacts.