Lay Theories of Networking: How Laypeople’s Beliefs About Networks Affect Their Attitudes Toward and Engagement in Instrumental Networking

Kuwabara, Ko; Hildebrand, Claudius Alexander; Zou, Xi

doi:10.5465/amr.2015.0076

Cited by 72 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…In sum, our study provides empirical backup for the conceptual assertions of Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou (2018), namely that domain-specific attitudes shape individuals' tendency to network. In other words, the opportunity to establish knowledge acquisition ties provided by the cluster context is only half of the story.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Particularly, some individuals may feel conflicted or ambivalent about the idea to engage in instrumental networking and refrain from doing so despite having the opportunity (Casciaro, Gino, and Kouchaki ; Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou ). Building on prior research on the influence of individuals' characteristics on their networking behavior (e.g., Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou ; Landis ), we argue that entrepreneurial attitudes are critical in this connection. They represent a domain‐specific influence factor that will affect SME managers' tendency to engage in the creation knowledge acquisition ties that span organizational boundaries within the cluster context.…”

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the above, it seems surprising that not all managers are equally engaged in creating boundary-spanning knowledge acquisition ties (BarNir and Smith 2002). Even though there is a strong "primacy to network" (i.e., an expectation to actively create and maintain network ties) spurred by popular management literature and academic attention to the topic alike, recent research has pointed to a knowing-doing gap (Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou 2018;Pfeffer and Sutton 2013). Particularly, some individuals may feel conflicted or ambivalent about the idea to engage in instrumental networking and refrain from doing so despite having the opportunity (Casciaro, Gino, and Kouchaki 2014;Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou 2018).…”

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even though there is a strong "primacy to network" (i.e., an expectation to actively create and maintain network ties) spurred by popular management literature and academic attention to the topic alike, recent research has pointed to a knowing-doing gap (Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou 2018;Pfeffer and Sutton 2013). Particularly, some individuals may feel conflicted or ambivalent about the idea to engage in instrumental networking and refrain from doing so despite having the opportunity (Casciaro, Gino, and Kouchaki 2014;Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou 2018). Building on prior research on the influence of individuals' characteristics on their networking behavior (e.g., Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou 2018;Landis 2016), we argue that entrepreneurial attitudes are critical in this connection.…”

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Entrepreneurial Attitudes as Drivers of Managers’ Boundary-Spanning Knowledge Ties in the Context of High-Tech Clusters

Schierjott¹,

Brennecke

Rank

2018

Journal of Small Business Management

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This study investigates the role of entrepreneurial attitudes for small and medium‐sized enterprise managers' tendency to create knowledge acquisition ties with managers of other organizations in the context of an institutionalized high‐tech cluster. We examine how innovation orientation, perceived personal control, need for achievement, and self‐esteem influence boundary‐spanning tie creation as a crucial facet of entrepreneurial behavior in the cluster context. Applying exponential random graph models to survey data collected in a German biotech cluster, we find that innovation orientation and perceived personal control positively affect managers' tendency to rely on interpersonal ties to gather knowledge. In contrast, need for achievement and self‐esteem are negatively related to knowledge tie creation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Entrepreneurial Attitudes as Drivers of Managers’ Boundary-Spanning Knowledge Ties in the Context of High-Tech Clusters

Schierjott¹,

Brennecke

Rank

2018

Journal of Small Business Management

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“…Entrepreneurs with better communication practices form fewer redundant business relationships because they base their decision on more information about their peers. Better communication practices lead to more information transfer in any given interaction, and with more information, entrepreneurs can better evaluate the potential value of connecting with a peer (Hansen, Podolny, and Pfeffer, 2001;Kuwabara, Hildebrand, and Zou, 2018). Conversely, entrepreneurs can also better recognize when they have useful knowledge to share with their partner.…”

Section: Relationship Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Value of Communication: Evidence From a Field Experiment With Entrepreneurs in Togo

Dimitriadis

Koning

2019

SSRN Journal

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Why do some entrepreneurs benefit from their portfolio of peer advisers while others do not? In this study, we argue that communication practices are an important but overlooked factor in the formation of useful advice relationships between entrepreneurs, particularly in the context of developing economies. We hypothesize that improving entrepreneurs' communication practices will affect the relationships they form and have implications for their business performance. To test our theory, we conducted a field experiment in Togo with 301 entrepreneurs who were randomized into a communication practices intervention that was embedded in a business training program. We found that entrepreneurs who were exposed to better communication practices perceived interactions more cooperatively and exchanged more information during those interactions. Moreover, improving communication practices also led to a 50 percent increase in the number of relationships entrepreneurs formed with peers. These relationships exhibited more matching based on skill and were more ethnically diverse. Finally, communication practices training also substantially increased entrepreneurs' business performance. Our findings highlight how communication practices play a central role in entrepreneurs' ability to form portfolios of relationships and perform in challenging business environments.

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Emphasizing “me” or “we”: Training framing and self‐concept in network‐based leadership development

Floyd

Cullen-Lester

Lester

et al. 2022

Human Resource Management

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This study explores how the motivational framing of a network training program may positively or (inadvertently) adversely impact participants' discomfort with strategic networking and motivation to network. We examine the impact of a "me-focused" framing (i.e., on the personal career benefits that individuals can accrue through strategic networking) and a "we-focused" framing (i.e., on the benefits to the team/organization of individuals' strategic networking) compared to a control group in two field-based quasiexperiments. In both studies, we found no difference between the two training frames in their effect on the two training outcomes when looking at participants' reactions, on average. However, in the second study, we find that individual differences in the way participants relate to others (i.e., the extent to which they endorse an individual or a collective self-concept) change the impact of the framing on their discomfort with and motivation to network. The findings highlight the importance of considering the match or mismatch between training framing and self-concept. In the we-focused condition, a match was related to decreased networking discomfort, while a mismatch was related to increased discomfort and decreased motivation. In the me-focused condition, a mismatch was counter-intuitively related to decreased discomfort. These findings suggest that considering participants' reactions to training (i.e., change in discomfort and motivation), on average, may mask important differences in their response to network-based training and that tailoring network training to participants' self-concepts may be an important consideration for human resource management professionals.

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Lay Theories of Networking: How Laypeople’s Beliefs About Networks Affect Their Attitudes Toward and Engagement in Instrumental Networking

Cited by 72 publications

References 84 publications

Entrepreneurial Attitudes as Drivers of Managers’ Boundary-Spanning Knowledge Ties in the Context of High-Tech Clusters

Entrepreneurial Attitudes as Drivers of Managers’ Boundary-Spanning Knowledge Ties in the Context of High-Tech Clusters

The Value of Communication: Evidence From a Field Experiment With Entrepreneurs in Togo

Emphasizing “me” or “we”: Training framing and self‐concept in network‐based leadership development

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