Publications
Publications
- 2010
Hunkering Down and Venturing Out: Network Activation in Response to the Uncertainty of Organizational Restructuring
Abstract
Uncertain times in organizational life are often accompanied by shifts in resources and power and can trigger a desire for people to affiliate with others. Yet little is understood about which network ties people activate when they feel uncertain about their standing in an organization. Existing theory offers seemingly contradictory expectations: one perspective predicts that people will hunker down (i.e., decrease their network range), while another suggests they will venture out (i.e., increase their network range). This paper develops theoretical propositions that help reconcile these perspectives and reports evidence from an organization that experienced the uncertainty of restructuring. Analyses of 40 weeks of archived electronic communications among 114 employees and semi-structured interviews reveal that, during periods of uncertainty relative to periods of stability, there was: (a) a decline in the proportion of communication that took place within the formal organizational structure; and (b) an increase in the proportion of communication among same gender colleagues, among those engaged in similar work activity, and among past colleagues.
Keywords
Citation
Srivastava, Sameer B. "Hunkering Down and Venturing Out: Network Activation in Response to the Uncertainty of Organizational Restructuring." November 2010.