Time for Change: A Dynamic Perspective of Employee Social Networks

Abstract

Organizational social networks are dynamic systems that continuously emerge and evolve. The stability and change in social networks among employees, project teammates, and job applicants have important implications for organizations and the people in them. Much of the emerging organizational literature on network dynamics can be interpreted through the lens of the microfoundations of social networks, which drills down to basic factors that shape network evolution and dynamics. Building on and extending this stream of research, papers in this symposium shed light on issues of theoretical and practical importance, including the creation and retention of professional networks among job seekers, the formation and retention of idea sharing ties among employees, the dynamics of conflict roles in project teams, and the impact of increasing communication delay on network connectivity in instrumental and expressive team networks over time. Creation and Retention of Newcomers’ Professional Networks: Coevolution with Professional Knowledge Presenter: Xuan Liu; U. of Minnesota - Twin Cities Presenter: Yihao Liu; U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Formation and Retention of Idea Sharing Ties: Formal Work Relationships and Creative Role Identity Presenter: Yifan Song; Texas A&M U. Presenter: Dan Ni; School of Business, Sun Yat-sen U. Presenter: Le Zhou; U. of Minnesota Presenter: Xiaoming Zheng; Tsinghua U. Characters on the stage of intragroup conflict: An illumination of conflict role dynamics Presenter: Amanda Ferguson; Northern Illinois U. Presenter: Stephen L. Jones; U. of Washington, Bothell Presenter: Randall S Peterson; London Business School Presenter: Pri Pradhan Shah; U. of Minnesota The Impact of Communication Delay on Team Network Connectivity Presenter: Dorothy R. Carter; Michigan State U. Presenter: Aaron Schecter; U. of Georgia Presenter: Jacob Pendergraft; U. of Georgia Presenter: Joshua Pearman; U. of Georgia