scholarly journals Informal Network Structure and Knowledge Sharing in Organizations: An Empirical Study of a Korean Paint Manufacturing Company

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Woojin Yoon ◽  
Jaeyun Jeong ◽  
Kyoungwon Park
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Manufacturing Company ◽  
Network Strength ◽  
Relationship Of

This study investigates the potentially different roles of informal social networks in promoting knowledge sharing. Specifically, it aims to examine the effects of the focal subgroup’s between-subgroup network size and strength on knowledge sharing with other subgroups and the moderating effect of within-subgroup network strength on the relationship of between-subgroup network size to knowledge sharing. Two different online surveys were conducted to assess social networks and knowledge sharing at a paint manufacturing company located in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The final sample consisted of 536 employees in 58 teams. The team-level regression results showed that the focal subgroup’s between-subgroup network strength has a significant effect on knowledge sharing with other subgroups, indicating that strong ties among subgroups are more advantageous to external knowledge sharing than weak ties. The results also demonstrated that the focal subgroup’s within-subgroup network strength negatively moderates the effect of its between-subgroup network size on knowledge sharing, indicating that higher levels of between-subgroup network size are positively related to external knowledge sharing when within-subgroup network strength is weak and negatively when within-subgroup network strength is strong. The study’s findings suggest that strong ties among subgroups and weak ties among subgroup members are advantageous to external knowledge sharing.

scholarly journals Social networks, accessed and mobilised social capital and the employment status of older workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 356-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaberi Gayen ◽  
Robert Raeside ◽  
Ronald McQuaid
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Older People ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of social networks, and the social capital embedded in them, to secure employment if someone had become unemployed after the age of 50 years and to reveal the process of accessing and mobilising that social capital. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a Scottish labour market was undertaken which involved an interview-based survey of those who became unemployed in their early 50’s and tried to regain employment. The interview had structured and unstructured parts which allowed both quantitative and qualitative analysis to compare those who were successful in regaining work with those who were not. The uniqueness of the paper is the use of social network components while controlling for other socio-economic and demographic variables in job search of older workers. Findings Those older people who were unemployed and, returned to employment (reemployed) had a higher proportion of contacts with higher prestige jobs, their job searching methods were mainly interpersonal and the rate of finding their last job via their social networks was higher than those who remained unemployed. Both groups mobilised social capital (MSC), but those reemployed accessed higher “quality” social capital. “Strong ties”, rather than “weak ties”, were found to be important in accessing and mobilising social capital for the older workers who returned to employment. Research limitations/implications This work is limited to a local labour market and is based on a small but informative sample. However, it does show that policy is required to allow older people to enhance their social networks by strengthening the social capital embedded in the networks. The results support the use of intermediaries as bridges to help compensate for older people who have weak social networks. Besides the policy implications, the paper also has two distinct research implications. First, the use of social network component to the existing literature of older workers’ job search. Second, exploring the type and relational strength with network members to explain older workers’ reemployment. Practical implications The paper illustrates that how accessed and MSC can be measured. Social implications As populations age, this work points to an approach to support older people to re-enter employment and to include them in society. Originality/value The paper extends social network and employment literature to fill gaps on how older people require to both access and mobilise social capital. The importance of “strong ties” in the reemployment of older workers contrasts with much of the literature on younger workers where the “strength of weak ties” so far has been regarded as essential for successful job search. Measures are forwarded to reveal the relevance of social capital. The policy value of the work is in suggesting ways to facilitate older people re-enter or remain in work and hence sustain their well-being.

Someone To Talk To

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Luis Small
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
First Year ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Large Scale Network ◽  
Scale Network

When people are facing difficulties, they often feel the need for a confidant—a person to vent to or talk things through with who will offer sympathy or understanding. How do they decide on whom to rely? In theory, the answer seems obvious: if the matter is personal, they will turn to a spouse, a family member, or someone otherwise close. In practice, what people actually do often belies these expectations. This book follows a group of graduate students as they cope with the stress of their first year in their programs, probing how they choose confidants over the course of their everyday experiences and unraveling the implications of the process. The book then tests its explanations against data on national populations. It shows that rather than consistently rely on their “strong ties,” people often take pains to avoid close friends and family, because these are too fraught with complex expectations. People often confide in “weak ties,” as their fear that their trust could be misplaced is overcome by their need for one who understands. In fact, people may find themselves confiding in acquaintances and even strangers unexpectedly, without much reflection on the consequences. Amid a growing wave of big data and large-scale network analysis, the book returns to the basic questions of who we connect with, how, and why, and upends decades of conventional wisdom on how we should think about and analyze social networks.

The value of online friends: Networked resources via social network sites

First Monday ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Stefanone ◽  
Kyounghee Kwon ◽  
Derek Lackaff
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Tie Strength ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Composite Measure ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Instrumental Value ◽  
Contact Frequency

This study investigated the instrumental value of resources embedded in online social networks. 49 primary participants solicited a total of 588 secondary participants who were asked to complete a modest task. Approximately 16 per cent of all secondary participants responded (N = 98) to the request. 8.5 per cent of weak ties responded and strong ties were about three times more likely to respond. Perceived reciprocity, contact frequency and a composite measure of tie strength were all positively related to enacted support.

A Theory of Strong Ties, Weak Ties, and Activity Behavior: Leisure Activity Variety and Frequency

2017 ◽  
Vol 2665 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Maness
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Activity Behavior ◽  
Two Step Estimation

A social network and personal social capital perspective has recently been applied in studies of travel and activity behavior. In this paper, a theory of activity behavior was developed inductively from sociological principles about social capital and the creation of social networks. This theory focused on the quantity of strong social ties and the diversity of weak social ties to describe differences in leisure activity variety and frequency. The theory was applied to a case study on participation in leisure activity in the United States with data from the Personal Networks and Community Survey. The size of the respondents’ core networks and the diversity of their contacts were found to be correlated positively with the variety and frequency of their activities. In addition, endogeneity because of correlations between network diversity and social personalities was accounted for with a two-step estimation procedure. The results showed that inclusion of a count of strong ties and the diversity of weak ties significantly increased the model fit and supported the theory’s hypothesis. The results also showed the biases that could be exhibited in analyses that ignored the effects of social networks. The inclusion of social networks helped to account for additional heterogeneity in socioeconomic groups (race, income, marital status, and education) in this case study.

Can social networks increase households’ contribution to public-good provision in rural China?

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihua Cai ◽  
Yuchun Zhu ◽  
Qihui Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Public Good ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Public Good Provision ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Good Provision

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles social networks play in households’ contribution to the provision of small hydraulic facilities (SHFs) in rural China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopts a sample-selection ordered probit model (Greene and Hensher, 2010) to estimate the impacts of overall social-network intensity, of the number of strong ties (relatives), and of the number of weak ties (friends), using data on 1,064 representative households collected from three provinces (Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Shandong). Findings – The numbers of strong ties and weak ties both have significant impacts on households’ willingness to contribute to SHFs provision, but only the latter has a significant impact on their level of contribution. More specifically, a one standard deviation increase in the number of weak ties (i.e. friends) is associated with a 6.6 percent increase in households’ propensity of contributing more than 550 yuan and a 8.2 percent decrease in their propensity of contributing less than 100 yuan. Originality/value – This paper is the first to examine the impacts of social networks on households’ contribution to SHFs provision in rural China. Its finding is of great policy relevance-fostering and maintaining social networks (e.g. through rural cooperatives) can significantly increase households’ contribution to public-good provision.

Diffusion of Islam in the United States: Comparative Personal Conversion Social Networks

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 221-232
Author(s):  
Şakin Erin
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
New Technology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Muslim Community ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Ann Arbor ◽  
Mainstream Society ◽  
Personal Social Networks

Abstract Conversion is one of the ways in which religion diffuses in society. Different than other diffusions, such as adopting a new technology or a fad, religious adoption can be riskier since it entails a life changing transition thereby making it a complex contagion. This study investigates whether Islam diffuses through weak ties or strong ties. By comparing conversion cases in Michigan, where there is a larger Muslim community, and Kentucky, where there is a less tangible Muslim community, I argue Islam is more likely to diffuse through what I call recessive or dominant weak ties in Michigan, whereas it is more likely to diffuse through strong ties in Kentucky. I collected personal social networks of 18 individuals who converted to Islam living in Michigan and 12 living in Kentucky. I found the research participants through mosques located in several cities in Michigan, including Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Flint, Detroit, Dearborn, and Canton, and two cities in Kentucky: Lexington and Louisville. Having investigated a set of egocentric conversion networks from both Michigan and Kentucky, I found that the existence of a Muslim community and how it is perceived by mainstream society is an ultimate factor in determining the strength of a tie to other Muslims. Thus, Islam is more likely to diffuse through weak ties where there is a Muslim community, but it is more likely to diffuse through strong ties where there is no such community.

The process of crisis information dissemination: impacts of the strength of ties in social networks

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuchang Wei ◽  
Bing Bu ◽  
Xiumei Guo ◽  
Margaret Gollagher
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Cellular Automation ◽  
Strength Of Ties ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Entire Network

Purpose – The strength of ties between individuals influences the speed and spread of crisis information dissemination (CID). By constructing networks of strong and weak ties, this paper aims to innovatively explore the impacts of strong and weak ties on the CID at the macro level. Design/methodology/approach – To better understand the rules of CID in different kinds of social networks, this paper constructs a CID model based on the strength of ties in social networks and cellular automation, using simulations of CID speed and spread in an entire network, strong tie network and weak tie network generated by MATLAB. Findings – As the article's major theoretical contribution, the results demonstrate that CID is more efficient in a network of weak ties than in a network of strong ties, and that the spread of CID has a positive correlation with the believability of the information disseminated and the dissemination tendency coefficient. Furthermore, the difference of dissemination speeds between strong and weak tie networks varies regularly with information believability and the dissemination tendency coefficient. Originality/value – This study provides more effective public mechanisms for rapidly evaluating the believability of crisis information and responding to crises in real time. The findings also have some valuable implications for government agencies to improve the efficiency and effect of CID.

Sharing With Whom? Processes in Internal and External Knowledge Sharing

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Giuca ◽  
John Schaubroeck ◽  
Abraham Carmeli ◽  
Roy Gelbard
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
External Knowledge

HEXACO personality factors and their associations with Facebook use and Facebook network characteristics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riana Brown ◽  
Sam G. B. Roberts ◽  
Thomas V. Pollet
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Openness To Experience ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Number Of Clusters ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Online Networks ◽  
Facebook Use ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
Size And Structure

Personality factors affect the properties of ‘offline’ social networks, but how they are associated with the structural properties of online networks is still unclear. We investigated how the six HEXACO personality factors (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience) relate to Facebook use and three objectively measured Facebook network characteristics - network size, density, and number of clusters. Participants (n = 107, mean age = 20.6, 66% female) extracted their Facebook networks using the GetNet app, completed the 60-item HEXACO questionnaire and the Facebook Usage Questionnaire. Users high in Openness to Experience spent less time on Facebook. Extraversion was positively associated with network size and the number of network clusters (but not after controlling for size). These findings suggest that personality factors are associated with Facebook use and the size and structure of Facebook networks, and that personality is an important influence on both online and offline sociality.

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