Network Cliques and Organizational level of Influence among Managers: A Social Network Analysis

Responding to demands for transformed networking practices requires new forms of knowledge. Given their scale and complexity, networking problems can no longer be solved by way of extending intermediaries. Recent research on alternative approaches has focused on the understanding network structures formed by interactions between heterogeneous actors. Rather than linear extensions, network theory highlights cliques structure as a major determinant of performance derives largely from the frequent finding that managers that are embedded with influential connections are at increased likelihood of becoming influential themselves thus opening rooms for new knowledge and innovative technology and practices. It is suggested that the strong and consistent cliques are at least partially responsible to managing network complexity. This paper contributes to our understanding of such facilitation by investigating the networks in which managers exchange information. We report findings based on the study of managers in a maritime industry. Network surveys identified who the managers contacted for inputs and who they had talked to about the information by 6 months earlier. Snow-balling interviews collected farmer statements about their most valuable contacts and these statements have been analysed. The network analysis shows that managers with densely tied and occupationally homogeneous contacts grew their networks more than did managers with contacts that are loosely tied and diverse. The network analysis reveals an important principle: managers’s value knowledge delivered by persons of homogenous connections rather distance ones. It is argued that social network analysis is an appropriate method for studying influence development use in the context of networked organizations.