Diversity Of Ties Research Articles

Does Diversity of Social Ties Really Matter More for Health and Leisure Activity than Number of Social Ties? Evidence from Later Adulthood.

Claims that the diversity of social ties matters more for health than the sheer number of ties have largely gone untested. This study accordingly compared the unique associations of number versus diversity of social ties with key health-related outcomes: functional limitations and leisure activities. Additionally, positive and ambivalent ties were distinguished. Social networks, health, and leisure activities were assessed in a national sample of older adults (N = 874; ages 65-91). Regression analyses revealed that number of ties related to each outcome at a magnitude comparable to, or exceeding, that of diversity in most models. For positive ties, number related more strongly than diversity to greater leisure activities. For ambivalent ties, number related more strongly than diversity to worse functional limitations. Contrary to prevailing views, diversity of ties is not necessarily more important than number of ties. Findings extend scientific understanding and approaches to interventions.

Hyper-elites and network: Capturing the powerful upper tail in Madagascar

• A survey of the hyper-elites to capture their pathways and their social networks and to study power monopolization strategy. • This survey is representative of the top 0.05% of the most powerful people in the country: the “hyper-elite”. • The global network the elites build among themselves are among the means to access and hold the highest position of power. • Position of power is associated to four key network dimensions: size, quality, diversity of contacts and strength of ties. • Casts and inherited economic and social capital are also decisive factors in explaining control of power over years. In order to gain an understanding of how elites affect the development process, one of the first challenges is to investigate who are the elites and how do they access positions of power. The characteristics of the hyper-elites network and how it impacts on the distribution of power may constitute a key determining factor of the political equilibrium and the economic trajectory of a country. This article shows first the relevance of data from a first-hand statistical survey designed to be representative of the hyper-elites in Madagascar. This survey managed to capture in a comprehensive manner the pathways and the social networks of ‘elites’. The latter are defined as those who hold or have held top positions and/or have a level of responsibility in nine different spheres of power (political [governmental, elective and partisan], economic, religious, military, civil society, international organisation and public institution). Our empirical approach focused on social capital, instead of income or wealth, provides an innovative way to apprehend and to study in its entirety and nationwide how “the powerful upper tail” functions. Drawing on this unique dataset of 1000 hyper-elites, we show to what extent position of power is associated to four key elite network dimensions: size, quality, diversity of contacts and strength of ties. More specifically, the quality and diversity of ties are among the most relevant determinants of access to positions of power. Our analysis sheds light on the hyper-elite strategy of network building to “keep themselves to themselves” and on the importance attached to casts and other inherited positions. It explains the limited social mobility and the huge gap between the elites and the majority of the population, which are among the causes of Madagascar’s recession.

THE INFLUENCES OF PERCEIVED USEFULNESS AND ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK ATTRIBUTE ON THE INTENTIONS TO SEEK AND SHARE INFORMATION ON INDONESIA’S SMART CITY DIGITAL PLATFORM

The high population and density of cities in Indonesia raise a number of urban problems that require creative and innovative solutions. One of the steps taken by the municipal government is to implement the concept of smart city, one of which is by utilizing information and communication technology (ICT). The municipal government applies ICT by creating websites and applications to provide a variety of city information and municipal government services to all residents that can also be shared on their online social network. However, it is not clear whether the residents perceive that the provided information is useful and whether the intentions to seek and share information from smart city platform are influenced by the perceived usefulness of the information and the citizen’ online social network attributes. Hence, this study was conducted with the aim to analyze the effect of the perceived usefulness of smart city information and social network attributes (number of ties and diversity of ties) on intention to seek and share information on smart city websites and applications in cities in Indonesia. The data were collected using a survey method, involving 1,161 respondents in 8 major cities in Indonesia, namely Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang, Medan, Makassar, Denpasar, and Banjarmasin. The survey results were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and it is concluded that the perceived usefulness of smart city information and the residents’ online social network attributes have positive and significant effects on the intention to seek information and intention to share information on smart city websites and apps.

Differential Effects of the Volume and Diversity of Communication Network Ties on Knowledge Workers' Performance

Research problem: For knowledge workers, such as IT professionals, the ties within their social network are a major channel for communicating the requisite knowledge and information. While prior studies tended to favor higher network centrality (i.e., larger volume of network ties), in this study, the researchers argue that centrality can reduce communication efficiency if the diversity of the ties is low. Research question: Which characteristic of communication ties, volume or diversity, has more influence on knowledge workers' performance? Literature review: Using social network analysis (SNA) as the theoretical framework, a review of the literature shows that social network ties have important performance implications because they can enhance an individual's access to valued resources. Studies have also examined the performance impact of “hindrance network centrality,” or how frequently a person is described by other network members as a hindrance to their performance. However, current research has overlooked the possible negative communication consequences of centrality in regards to redundant information, which may negatively affect job performance. Methodology: The current study employs a quantitative approach, using the standard SNA method of a “name generator” questionnaire to collect network data. Participants were 98 people in the IT department at a large defense company. We identified 3905 relationships and analyzed them with the UCINET software. Subsequently, social network variables, as well as performance and human capital variables were analyzed in logistic regressions. Results and discussion: Results showed a significant relationship between constraint, a measure of tie diversity, and performance. Centrality, the measure of tie volume, however, was not significantly related to performance. Our findings about the volume versus diversity of communication ties have important implications for professional communicators in the age of fast-growing social network media. A limitation of our study is that we approximated communication ties with social network links. We suggest that future studies further validate our findings by using a more direct measure of communication ties.

Mediation in Multiple Networks: Elite Mobilization before the English Civil War

Navigating political action typically requires coalition building across different interest groups. Because members represent divergent interests and are embedded in different networks, however, alliance formation is difficult. In this article, I consider how elites rely on political brokerage to overcome these divisions and form successful coalitions, with successful organization of the parliamentary opposition to the king before the English Civil War as a case in point. Supporting quantitative evidence comes from rich network data on the business, kinship, and political affiliations among 346 political and mercantile elites. Rather than the mere presence of mediator positions, I argue that effective brokerage of mobilizing alliances between interest groups requires political mediators who are equally affiliated with these diverse networks. Successful brokerage is conditional on both their structural position between groups and the diversity of ties that compose their personal networks. The results demonstrate that new merchant elites who were engaged in the American colonial trades acted as political mediators and facilitated the formation of a parliamentary opposition strong enough to defeat the royalist forces in London.

The effects of tie strength and tie diversity on job search, pay increases, and promotions in Singapore and Thailand

This study assessed the effects of an employee's strength and diversity of network ties within the organization to job-search behavior, pay increases, and promotions in two East Asian countries (Singapore and Thailand). Contrary to predictions, there were no significant associations between the strength of ties with one's supervisor or peers with job-search behavior, pay increases, or promotions. However, as predicted, the diversity of ties was positively associated with job-search behavior, pay increases, and promotions. Finally, the community in which an employee is embedded had no moderating influence on job-search behavior, pay increases, or promotions after accounting for employee tenure, suggesting a convergence of results for these relationships in Singapore and Thailand.

O capital social das equipes empreendedoras nascentes

O capital social tem sido considerado uma força impulsionadora no surgimento e crescimento de novas organizações. Esta pesquisa investiga os efeitos do capital social sobre os projetos de empresas nascentes, conduzidos por equipes empreendedoras. Usando uma amostra de 33 equipes empreendedoras nascentes, o estudo explora: 1) a estrutura social interna da equipe, refletida pelos padrões de comunicação e sentimentos entre seus membros; e 2) a estrutura social externa da equipe, refletida na diversidade de laços que seus membros mantêm com terceiros e que influencia no avanço de uma idéia para negócios. Concluiu-se que equipes com elevado capital social externo apresentam um desempenho superior, ao passo que os resultados empíricos não sustentaram que o capital social interno seja melhor para o desempenho da equipe.

The Kindness of Strangers: The Usefulness of Electronic Weak Ties for Technical Advice

People use weak ties—relationships with acquaintances or strangers—to seek help unavailable from friends or colleagues. Yet in the absence of personal relationships or the expectation of direct reciprocity, help from weak ties might not be forthcoming or could be of low quality. We examined the practice of distant employees (strangers) exchanging technical advice through a large organizational computer network. A survey of advice seekers and those who replied was conducted to test hypotheses about the viability and usefulness of such electronic weak tie exchanges. Theories of organizational motivation suggest that positive regard for the larger organization can substitute for direct incentives or personal relationships in motivating people to help others. Theories of weak ties suggest that the usefulness of this help may depend on the number of ties, the diversity of ties, or the resources of help providers. We hypothesized that, in an organizational context, the firm-specific resources and organizational motivation of people who provide advice will predict the usefulness of advice. We investigated these theories in a study of employees of a global computer manufacturer. We collected survey and observational data on the relationships between information seekers and information providers; the number, diversity, resources, and motivations of information providers, and subjective ratings of the usefulness of the advice (from both parties in the exchange) and whether or not the advice solved information seekers' problems. We found that information providers gave useful advice and solved the problems of information seekers, despite their lack of a personal connection with the seekers. The data support the main hypotheses and provide some support for resource and diversity explanations of weak tie influence. We discuss how this organization's culture sustained useful intormation exchange through weak ties.