Publications
Publications
- 2009
When Weak Ties and Social Alternatives Benefit Organizational Commitment: Evidence from Wikipedia
Abstract
This study examines the social mechanisms reinforcing participant commitment to collaborative work. Previous literature largely fails to acknowledge the wider context of individual workplace commitments, or suggests that multiple concurrent work and life commitments can place too high a demand on the individual concluding that sustained involvement in an organization is facilitated when individuals lack strong competing interests and relationships beyond the organization boundaries. However, interviews with contributors to an online volunteer project suggest a paradoxical socio-structural mechanism affecting organizational commitment. Contrary to expectations that strong ties are beneficial as sources of social support, the author finds that that a) weaker social ties are beneficial for long-term commitment to collaborative work, and that b) participants' social alternatives outside work have a positive effect on tenure with the project by reducing the impact of conflict on individual desire to remain involved in the project. This study highlights the importance of individuals' social ties and of alternative social commitments for collaborative work, and proposes a way to refine the mechanisms through which social networks affect participation to collaborative projects.
Keywords
Citation
Gorbatai, Andreea Daniela. "When Weak Ties and Social Alternatives Benefit Organizational Commitment: Evidence from Wikipedia." 2009.