Larger or Broader: Performance Implications of Size and Diversity of the Knowledge Worker's Egocentric Network. 更多或更广：知识员工个人中心网络大小和 多样性对绩效的影响

Abstract

abstract Management scholars and practitioners emphasize the importance of the size and diversity of a knowledge worker's social network. Constraints on knowledge workers' time and energy suggest that more is not always better. Further, why and how larger networks contribute to valuable outcomes deserves further understanding. In this study, we offer hypotheses to shed insight on the question of the diminishing returns of large networks and the specific form of network diversity that may contribute to innovative performance among knowledge workers. We tested our hypotheses using data collected from 93 R&D engineers in a Sino-German automobile electronics company located in China. Study findings identified an inflection point, confirming our hypothesis that the size of the knowledge worker's egocentric network has an inverted U-shaped effect on job performance. We further demonstrate that network dispersion richness (the number of cohorts that the focal employee has connections to) rather than network dispersion evenness (equal distribution of ties across the cohorts) has more influence on the knowledge worker's job performance. Additionally, we found that the curvilinear effect of network size is fully mediated by network dispersion richness. Implications for future research on social networks in China and Western contexts are discussed. 摘要 管理学者和实践者纷纷强调知识员工关系网络大小和多样性的重要性。然而知识员工的时间与精力的有限性却暗示关系数量并不是越多越好。为什么更多数量的员工关系会带来效益，这种效益是如何产生 的，这两个问题值得进一步探讨。在本研究中，我们通过假设检验来深入了解更多数量员工关系的递减效益，以及关系网络多样性对知识员工创新绩效的作用。经验数据来自一家位于中国的中德合资汽车电子有限公司，包括93位研发工程师。研究结果显示员工关系数量对知识员工绩效的正面影响有一个转折点，从而证明关于知识员工关系数量对其绩效有倒U型影响的假设。我们进一步证实知识员工关系网络的分布范围，相较于关系网络的分布均衡性，对其绩效影响更显著。此外，我们发现知识员工关系数量对其绩效的倒U型影响完全被员工关系网络的分布范围所中介。最后，我们提出了在中国和西方背景下进一步研究社会网络的建议。