The effect of social network ties on performance: a moderated mediation model

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 2139-2159
Author(s):  
Amer Ali Al-Atwi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adapt the job demands–resources perspective to extend social network literature by examining the effectiveness of psychological (work engagement and emotional exhaustion) and instrumental (access to benefits) mechanisms as mediators of the relationship between employees’ centrality in positive and negative ties networks and job performance. Design/methodology/approach The survey data were collected from 103 employees working at a public bank in three stages. Findings The study results supported the hypotheses that an individual’s centrality in a negative network increases his/her experience of emotional exhaustion, while individual centrality in a positive network increases his/her work engagement. In addition, the findings showed that centrality in positive networks will be more predictive of work engagement when negative ties centrality increases, and the relationship between centrality in the negative network and emotional exhaustion is weaker when centrality in the positive network is higher. Originality/value The study extends out to the social ledger model (Labianca and Brass, 2006) by examining the dual pathways of effects of positive and negative ties in predicting employee outcomes. In addition, the authors’ model enriches the understanding of the nature of social network ties more broadly by suggesting that its effects in the workplace can extend beyond psychological effects to include instrumental impact.

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn Jungst ◽  
Boris Blumberg

Purpose Guided by social resource theory, this study aims to examine the influence of conflict (i.e. task and relationship) on performance. The authors investigated whether job engagement mediates this relationship and whether social network quality moderates the relationship between conflict, job engagement and performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors built and tested a moderated mediation model, using data from 217 graduate students. Findings Results showed that job engagement operates as a mediating mechanism between task conflict and performance. The authors also found that the indirect effect of job engagement depended upon the quality of the social networks. When the quality of the social network was high, both the task and relationship conflict did not negatively influence the association between job engagement and performance. Research limitations/implications These findings provide new insights into how social embeddedness in the form of social network quality can create a social context in which conflict works out less detrimental. Practical implications Given that employees are interdependent and coworkers are likely to differ in their personal values and opinions, the authors conclude that managers should facilitate the development of meaningful relationships at work. Originality/value Whereas prior research has found conflict (i.e. task and relationship) to negatively associate with performance, the authors show that social networks do affect the strength of the relationship between conflict (i.e. task and relationship) and performance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brownhilder Ngek Neneh

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effect of networking ties on the relationship between customer orientation and firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a survey approach to collect data from 251 respondents in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State province, South Africa. Scales for data collection were operationalised from prior studies. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the moderating effect of networking ties on the relationship between customer orientation and firm performance.FindingsThe results showed that customer orientation had a significant positive association with firm performance, thus supporting the existing calls for examining the unique contributions of customer orientation to firm performance. Furthermore, this study hypothesised that business, political, and social network ties positively moderated this association. However, the results showed that only business and social network ties had a positive and significant moderating effect, with the influence of customer orientation on firm performance being more pronounced for firms with high as opposed to low business and social network ties. Nevertheless, all the three types of network ties showed a positive and significant direct relationship with firm performance, thus supporting the consolidated literature on the positive impact of network ties on firm performance.Practical implicationsThe practical implications are twofold. First, it encourages business owners to develop a customer-oriented approach as a key strategic objective in their pursuit for optimal business performance. Second, business owners and managers should increasingly exploit their business and social network ties to accumulate vital resources for effectively exploiting their customer-oriented capabilities as a means to improve their performance.Originality/valueEven though customer orientation is a valuable internal strategic capability, its benefit on firm performance might be limited in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) when the businesses are unable to respond quickly to customer needs. This is more common when the SME is faced with resource limitations required for exploiting the new market opportunities. However, this study showed that SMEs can mitigate this issue by depending on their business and social network ties for valuable resources to effectively exploit opportunities that emerge from identified customer needs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 542-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Henry ◽  
Donatienne Desmette

Purpose In the context of workforce aging, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of occupational future time perspective (OFTP) in the relationship between work–family enrichment (WF-E) and two well-being outcomes (i.e. work engagement and emotional exhaustion). In addition, the moderating role of age on the relationship between WF-E and OFTP, and consequently, on the indirect effects of WF-E on work engagement and emotional exhaustion through OFTP, will be examined. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional survey research (n=263) was conducted in a public sector company in Belgium. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analyses were performed to investigate the hypothesized relationships. Findings The dimension “remaining opportunities” of OFTP mediated the positive relationship between WFE and work engagement, and the negative relationship between WFE and emotional exhaustion. Chronological age moderated the positive relationship between WFE and the dimension “remaining time” of OFTP, with stronger effects among older workers. Research limitations/implications This research has confirmed that OFTP is influenced by WFE and that WFE matters, especially for older workers. Future research should continue to study the effects of the work–family interface on older workers. Practical implications Age management practices should take WFE into consideration when managing an aging workforce. In particular, older workers may benefit from WFE to increase their perception of remaining opportunities at work, which, in turn, increase well-being. Originality/value This study contributes evidence for the role of personal resources (i.e. remaining opportunities) in the relationship between WF-E and well-being at work.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aakanksha Kataria ◽  
Kumari Rashmi ◽  
Mansi Rastogi

Purpose This study aims to investigate how workplace resourcefulness (positive psychological climate), as well as personal resources (psychological capital [PsyCap]), influence work engagement to promote change-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (Ch-OCBs) among Indian information technology (IT) personnel. Design/methodology/approach The social exchange theory and job demands-resources model are used to provide rationale for proposing a comprehensive mechanism including antecedents, moderators as well as mediators enabling Ch-OCBs among IT personnel. Structured questionnaires were administered targeting IT professionals and their supervisors to test the proposed relationships. The obtained data from 30 supervisors and 240 subordinates were tested using confirmatory factor analysis, SEM and moderated path analysis technique. Findings Psychological climate, PsyCap and work engagement positively relate to Ch-OCBs; PsyCap moderated the relationship between psychological climate and work engagement. Specifically, the relationship between psychological climate and work engagement has come out stronger for employees with high PsyCap. Work engagement fully mediated the relationship between psychological climate and Ch-OCBs. Practical implications The findings can be critical in promoting voluntary change-focused behaviors among Indian IT personnel, for Indian and foreign (non-Indian) multi-national corporations that are interested in reaping profits by availing change-driven extra-role services of their efficient and the most preferred Indian IT employees of the world. Originality/value This study addresses to the call for more research on change-focused promotive part of OCB and advances the literature by providing evidence on the proposed set of associations from fast-pacing Indian economy.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyi Zhu ◽  
Yuan Sun ◽  
Anand Jeyaraj ◽  
Jie Hao

PurposeThis study aims to explore whether and how task characteristics affect employee agility in the context of enterprise social media (ESM).Design/methodology/approachAdopting the social network ties perspective, this study examines how task characteristics (i.e. task complexity, task interdependence and task non-routineness) affect employee agility by promoting their social network ties (i.e. instrumental ties and expressive ties) and how ESM visibility moderates their relationships. Data gathered from 341 ESM users in workplaces were analyzed using Smart-PLS 3.2.FindingsFirst, task complexity, task interdependence and task non-routineness have positive effects on instrumental and expressive ties, which in turn influences agility; Second, instrumental ties have a stronger effect on employee agility relative to expressive ties; Finally, ESM visibility positively moderates the effects of task complexity and task non-routineness on social network ties.Practical implicationsThe findings provide guidance for organizational managers on how to use task characteristics and ESM to improve employee agility, as well as insights for social media designers to optimize ESM functions to improve agility.Originality/valueThis study provides empirical evidence to explain the roles of task characteristics and social network ties in influencing employee agility, thus clarifying the inconsistent findings in extant research. The moderating effects of ESM visibility on the relationships between task characteristics and social network ties are also examined, thus providing further insights on the positive role of ESM in organizations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 361-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiayu Chen ◽  
Shaobo Wei ◽  
Robert M. Davison ◽  
Ronald E. Rice

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how four enterprise social media (ESM) affordances (visibility, association, editability and persistence) affect social network ties (instrumental and expressive), which, in turn, influence the in-role and innovative job performance of employees. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 251 ESM users in the workplace in China was conducted. Findings All four affordances are positively associated with instrumental ties, yet only the association and editability affordances are positively related to expressive ties. Although instrumental and expressive ties are positively related to in-role and innovative job performance, instrumental ties exert stronger effects on in-role job performance, whereas expressive ties show stronger effects on innovative job performance. Research limitations/implications First, additional relevant affordances should be included in an expanded model. Second, future research could examine how patterns of affordances use (unrelated, or hierarchically or sequentially related) affect organizational network ties. Third, there are likely (many) other exogenous factors affecting the model’s relationships. Fourth, the data collected are self-reported. Practical implications This study advances the theoretical understanding of the role of ESM affordances in the workplace, especially through their influences on network ties. The findings can guide organizations on how to emphasize ESM affordances to foster instrumental and expressive ties to improve the job performance of employees. Originality/value First, it provides novel views on affordance theory in ESM contexts by empirically testing four central affordances, thereby further providing preliminary evidence for prior theoretical propositions by confirming that social media affordances might be associated with or influence relational ties. Second, the study integrates an affordance lens and a social network perspective to investigate employees’ perceived performance behavior. Including social network ties can offer a more detailed understanding of the underlying processes of how ESM affordances can and do affect job performance. Third, it supports the validity of distinguishing instrumental and expressive ties in ESM contexts, thus offering a possible explanation for the inconsistencies in prior research on the impact of social networks on employee outcomes. Finally, it also shows how two kinds of organizational performance (in-role and innovative) are somewhat differentially influenced by affordances and network ties.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anupama Singh

Purpose This paper aims to examine the factors that mediate and moderate the relationship between psychological empowerment and organizational health. Specifically, work engagement is posited to mediate the relationship between psychological empowerment and organizational health and organizational communication to moderate the relationship between psychological empowerment and work engagement. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 524 scientists belonging to 10 laboratories of CSIR – an Indian R&D organization. For statistical analysis of moderated-mediation model, hierarchical multiple regression and process macro for SPSS was used. Findings Results revealed that work engagement was found to mediate the positive relationship between psychological empowerment and organizational health and organizational communication moderated the influence of psychological empowerment on work engagement. Results of moderated-mediation revealed that mediation of work engagement was moderated by organizational communication such that at higher levels of communication, the mediating effect of work engagement became stronger. Originality/value This study extends the understanding of the organizational health concept by studying the mediating effect of work engagement being moderated by organizational communication and its subsequent impact on organizational health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Liping Guo ◽  
Guoying Gai ◽  
Mingming Huang ◽  
Anquan Wang ◽  
Liheng Yang ◽  
...  

We explored the relationship between social support and preschool teachers' intention to stay in their job, as well as the mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of resilience. We recruited a sample of 1,693 Chinese preschool teachers to complete a survey on their social support, work engagement, intention to stay, and resilience. Results indicate that the social support of preschool teachers was positively correlated with their intention to stay, work engagement, and resilience. Social support had a positive predictive effect on the intention to stay. Work engagement partially mediated the effects of social support on the intention to stay. Additionally, resilience significantly moderated the effects of work engagement on the intention to stay. Thus, we have affirmed that work engagement significantly mediates the effects of social support on the intention to stay, and that resilience moderates the second half of this mediation process.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Yesim Yalabik ◽  
Bruce A. Rayton ◽  
Andriana Rapti

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the facets of job satisfaction and the work engagement. Previous studies that focus on the linkages between work engagement and overall job satisfaction ignore the multi-faceted nature of job satisfaction construct. In this study, how job satisfaction facets are linked to three dimensions of work engagement – i.e. vigor, dedication and absorption – is discussed by drawing on the social exchange theory. Design/methodology/approach The cross-lagged data used in this study come from the specialist lending division of a UK bank. The linear multiple regression analyses are run to test the proposed theoretical model. Findings The results show that among all the job satisfaction facets, the “satisfaction with work itself” is the key driver of all dimensions of work engagement, i.e. vigor, dedication and absorption. The “satisfaction with conditions” is negatively linked to absorption of employees in their work. This means that the employees with high workload might not be absorbed in their work. Finally, it is found that employees who are satisfied with the communication in their work are also absorbed in their work. Originality/value This study contributes to our knowledge of the drivers of work engagement over time. The facets of job satisfaction as the drivers help us to have a comprehensive understanding of the link between the job satisfaction facets and work engagement. This study first contributes to the work engagement literature which has neglected the multi-dimensional approach of job satisfaction. This study also contributes to the limited number of work engagement studies conducted in service sector and in UK.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Mahmoudi ◽  
Mohd Ridzwan Yaakub ◽  
Azuraliza Abu Bakar

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