Publications by year
In Press
Smith J, Halgin D, Kidwell VL, Labianca GJ, Brass D, Borgatti S (In Press). Power in Politically Charged Networks.
SSRN Electronic Journal DOI.
Woehler M, Floyd T, Shah N, Marineau J, Sung W, Grosser T, Fagan J, Labianca G (In Press). Turnover During a Corporate Merger: How Workplace Network Change Influences Staying. Journal of Applied Psychology
2023
Singh K, Lee S, Labianca GJ, Fagan JM, Cha M (2023). Multi-Stage Machine Learning Model for Hierarchical Tie Valence Prediction.
ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data,
17(6), 1-20.
Abstract:
Multi-Stage Machine Learning Model for Hierarchical Tie Valence Prediction
Individuals interacting in organizational settings involving varying levels of formal hierarchy naturally form a complex network of social ties having different tie valences (e.g. positive and negative connections). Social ties critically affect employees’ satisfaction, behaviors, cognition, and outcomes—yet identifying them solely through survey data is challenging because of the large size of some organizations or the often hidden nature of these ties and their valences. We present a novel deep learning model encompassing NLP and graph neural network techniques that identifies positive and negative ties in a hierarchical network. The proposed model uses human resource attributes as node information and web-logged work conversation data as link information. Our findings suggest that the presence of conversation data improves the tie valence classification by 8.91% compared to employing user attributes alone. This gain came from accurately distinguishing positive ties, particularly for male, non-minority, and older employee groups. We also show a substantial difference in conversation patterns for positive and negative ties with positive ties being associated with more messages exchanged on weekends, and lower use of words related to anger and sadness. These findings have broad implications for facilitating collaboration and managing conflict within organizational and other social networks.
Abstract.
DOI.
2022
Agneessens F, Labianca GJ (2022). Collecting survey-based social network information in work organizations.
Social Networks,
68, 31-47.
DOI.
2021
Yang SW, Soltis SM, Ross JR, Labianca GJ (2021). Dormant tie reactivation as an affiliative coping response to stressors during the COVID-19 crisis.
J Appl Psychol,
106(4), 489-500.
Abstract:
Dormant tie reactivation as an affiliative coping response to stressors during the COVID-19 crisis.
This study takes an affiliative coping theory perspective to examine whether working adults reactivated dormant ties with individuals they had not contacted for at least 3 years to cope with stressors experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stressors originating in the workplace (job insecurity and remote work) and in the family (stressful familial social ties) were examined in a sample of 232 working adults in the southeastern United States. Individuals were more likely to reactivate their dormant ties when their job was insecure, and the magnitude of the reactivations was greater among individuals experiencing stressful social ties with family members than those not experiencing those stressors. We also found that there was a significant interaction between remote work and having a stressful tie within the household in dormant tie reactivation. Although previous theory has focused mostly on the benefits of frequent, active social relationships for coping, our results suggest that reactivating dormant ties might be a coping mechanism as well. Our study also suggests that workplace dormant tie research should broaden its focus beyond exchanged instrumental support to consider emotional support that might be transferred during reactivation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract.
Author URL.
DOI.
Marineau JE, Labianca G (2021). Positive and negative tie perceptual accuracy: Pollyanna principle vs. negative asymmetry explanations.
Social Networks,
64, 83-98.
Abstract:
Positive and negative tie perceptual accuracy: Pollyanna principle vs. negative asymmetry explanations
We examine the affective content of ties and explore whether negative affective tie content is systematically advantaged or disadvantaged when recalling the social network as compared to positive affective tie content. We test this in three workgroups from two organizations and analyze differences in perceptual accuracy comparing negative and positive affective tie perception. We theorize that ego will be more accurate for others’ positive than negative ties due to generalized positivity bias, or the Pollyanna principle. We also theorize that ego will be more accurate for their own negative ties due to negative asymmetry perspective, as ego will attend more to those ties that pose a personal threat. Findings suggest that observers were more accurate overall about their own and others’ positive compared to negative affective ties. We conclude that the Pollyanna principle is an important factor in explaining perceptions in naturalistic cognitive networks. Supplementary analysis showed that negative ties were more likely to be missed and imagined and having a valenced tie toward another person influences perceptions of that persons’ network ties. Finally, we find that balanced and imbalanced triads were also important factors of relative accuracy. The study's contribution, limitations, and future research are also discussed.
Abstract.
DOI.
2020
Harrigan NM, Labianca G, Agneessens F (2020). Negative ties and signed graphs research: Stimulating research on dissociative forces in social networks.
Social Networks,
60, 1-10.
DOI.
2019
Grosser TJ, Obstfeld D, Labianca GJ, Borgatti SP (2019). Measuring Mediation and Separation Brokerage Orientations: a Further Step Toward Studying the Social Network Brokerage Process.
Academy of Management Discoveries,
5(2), 114-136.
DOI.
2018
Grosser TJ, Obstfeld D, Choi EW, Woehler M, Lopez-Kidwell V, Labianca G, Borgatti SP (2018). A sociopolitical perspective on employee innovativeness and job performance: the role of political skill and network structure.
Organization Science,
29(4), 612-632.
Abstract:
A sociopolitical perspective on employee innovativeness and job performance: the role of political skill and network structure
We adopt a sociopolitical perspective to examine how an employee's political skill works in conjunction with social network structure to relate to the employee's innovation involvement and job performance. We find that employee innovation involvement mediates the relationship between political skill and job performance and that the number of structural holes employees have in their social network strengthens the positive relationship between political skill and employee innovation involvement. Hypotheses were tested in a large microprocessor manufacturing firm using a sample of 113 employees responsible for generating technological innovations in support of the development of computer microchips. The results of a constructive replication study among medical professionals provide substantial support for our model. This study's contribution is in showing that political skill both leads to innovation involvement and enables employees to take advantage of the innovation-enhancing potential of certain social network positions.
Abstract.
DOI.
Purdy J, Kish-Gephart J, Labianca GJ, Ansari S (2018). Connections and Collaboration—Celebrating the Contributions of Barbara Gray.
Negotiation and Conflict Management Research,
11(1), 88-107.
Abstract:
Connections and Collaboration—Celebrating the Contributions of Barbara Gray
In July 2017, Dr. Barbara Gray was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the IACM during its 30th annual conference in Berlin, Germany. In this tribute article, we celebrate Barbara's unique and varied contributions to our understanding of conflict and collaboration. We highlight multiple aspects of Barbara's scholarly work including research on (a) intergroup conflict and organizational change, (b) power and conflict dynamics, (c) frames and framing, and (d) shared meanings and institutional theory approaches to conflict and conflict resolution. In reviewing this work, we recognize Barbara's lifelong concern for social justice and environmental sustainability, her pioneering use of qualitative methods, and her ongoing commitment to the development of young scholars.
Abstract.
DOI.
Sung W, Labianca GJ, Fagan JM (2018). Executives’ network change and their promotability during a merger. Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management.
Abstract:
Executives’ network change and their promotability during a merger
Abstract.
DOI.
Marineau JE, Labianca G, Brass DJ, Borgatti SP, Vecchi P (2018). Individuals’ power and their social network accuracy: a situated cognition perspective.
Social Networks,
54, 145-161.
Abstract:
Individuals’ power and their social network accuracy: a situated cognition perspective
Individuals differ in how accurately they perceive their social environment, but research and theory provide conflicting predictions on whether powerful people are more or less accurate than others. Drawing on social network theory and the situated cognition theory of power, we examine the relationship between individuals’ formal and informal power and their perceptual accuracy of social network relationships. We propose that individuals’ perceptual accuracy is related to: 1) their formal and informal power in the organization; 2) the type of relationship being perceived (positive/negative valence) and its relevance to task and goal completion; and 3) the dependence relationship with the target of perception (i.e. whether the perceiver is dependent on the perceived to get their work done). Predictions were tested using cognitive social structure data collected from a technical call center. Results showed that power was generally linked to increased perceptual accuracy, particularly for the types of relationships most relevant for task and goal completion. We further demonstrated that social network accuracy was related to employees’ outcomes, including subsequent transfer, promotion, and exit from the organization.
Abstract.
DOI.
Marineau JE, Hood AC, Labianca GJ (2018). Multiplex Conflict: Examining the Effects of Overlapping Task and Relationship Conflict on Advice Seeking in Organizations.
Journal of Business and Psychology,
33(5), 595-610.
Abstract:
Multiplex Conflict: Examining the Effects of Overlapping Task and Relationship Conflict on Advice Seeking in Organizations
This study examines the extent to which multiplex conflict relationships, or those infused with both relationship and task conflict, are related to employee decisions regarding from whom to seek advice at work. Data were gathered from 75 employees in a medium-sized life sciences firm in the US Midwest and analyzed using social network analysis. Findings demonstrate that although employees were less likely to seek advice from someone with whom they experienced relationship conflict, employees were more likely to seek advice from those with whom they experienced task conflict. Moreover, advice was still sought from those with whom both forms of conflict were present simultaneously. The current study demonstrates that employees are willing to seek advice from those with whom there is task conflict despite the simultaneous presence of relationship conflict. Compared to relationships free of relationship conflict (e.g. friendships), those characterized by multiplex conflicts provide greater access to others with divergent perspectives while also reducing the need for advice seekers to invest resources towards the protection and maintenance of the positive affective portion of the relationship. Although much of the focus of conflict research has been directed towards intragroup task and relationship conflict, our multiplex social network approach provides a unique opportunity to explore the effects on advice seeking stemming from the co-occurrence of these distinct types of conflict within the same employee dyad. In doing so, we contribute to the continuing debate regarding the primacy of affective or cognitive concerns in judgment and behavior.
Abstract.
DOI.
Lopez-Kidwell V, Niven K, Labianca G (2018). Predicting workplace relational dynamics using an affective model of relationships.
Journal of Organizational Behavior,
39(9), 1129-1141.
Abstract:
Predicting workplace relational dynamics using an affective model of relationships
Integrating insights from the organizational social networks and workplace affect literatures, the authors propose a dynamic model of relationships, focusing on the affect experienced within dyadic work relationships to predict their trajectory over time: either improving, declining, or static. The feelings each partner typically experiences within an ongoing relationship (trait relational affect) can be distinguished according to their hedonic tone and activation level, and the combination of both dyadic partners' trait relational affect is predictive of the relationship trajectory. Furthermore, the emotions each partner experiences during specific interactional episodes (state relational affect) can alter and disrupt this relationship trajectory, either temporarily or permanently, to the extent that they diverge from the trait relational affect that is typically experienced. A given relationship trajectory over time leads to the development of different types of informal work ties (strong, negative, or weak), which are associated with a wealth of organizational consequences including effort, motivation, performance, and innovation. The model addresses criticisms that organizational social network research neglects the role of affect and views networks as static entities. The model further provides affect researchers with a novel framework that considers affect as a relational rather than individual phenomenon.
Abstract.
DOI.
2017
Grosser TJ, Venkataramani V, Labianca GJ (2017). An alter-centric perspective on employee innovation: the importance of alters' creative self-efficacy and network structure.
Journal of Applied Psychology,
102(9), 1360-1374.
Abstract:
An alter-centric perspective on employee innovation: the importance of alters' creative self-efficacy and network structure
While most social network studies of employee innovation behavior examine the focal employees' ("egos'") network structure, we employ an alter-centric perspective to study the personal characteristics of employees' network contacts-their "alters"-to better understand employee innovation. Specifically, we examine how the creative self-efficacy (CSE) and innovation behavior of employees' social network contacts affects their ability to generate and implement novel ideas. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 144 employees in a U.S.-based product development organization. We find that the average CSE of alters in an employee's problem solving network is positively related to that employee's innovation behavior, with this relationship being mediated by these alters' average innovation behavior. The relationship between the alters' average innovation behavior and the employee's own innovation behavior is strengthened when these alters have less dense social networks. Post hoc results suggest that having network contacts with high levels of CSE also leads to an increase in ego's personal CSE 1 year later in cases where the employee's initial level of CSE was relatively low. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Abstract.
DOI.
Ahmad W, Stufhaut M, Labianca J (2017). Collaborative Dynamics of Creative Teams: Modeling Creative Process in Advertising Design.
Business & Economic Review,
9(4), 159-182.
DOI.
Sung W, Woehler ML, Fagan JM, Grosser TJ, Floyd TM, Labianca GJ (2017). Employees’ responses to an organizational merger: Intraindividual change in organizational identification, attachment, and turnover.
Journal of Applied Psychology,
102(6), 910-934.
DOI.
Shah A, Shah HA, Smith JM, Labianca G (2017). Judicial efficiency and capital structure: an international study.
Journal of Corporate Finance,
44, 255-274.
Abstract:
Judicial efficiency and capital structure: an international study
We investigate a particular aspect of creditor rights, judicial efficiency, and its influence on firms' corporate leverage in 69 countries. Increasing creditor rights makes credit more readily available due to greater loan supply, but firms use less leverage to avoid premature liquidation. We find that efficient judicial systems are associated with lower corporate leverage ratios. Managers perceive higher leverage in the presence of more efficient judicial systems as a serious threat to their jobs or private benefits continuing. Our results indicate that stronger creditor rights alone do not explain corporate leverage without taking into account efficient enforcement of these rights.
Abstract.
DOI.
de Klepper MC, (Joe) Labianca G, Sleebos E, Agneessens F (2017). Sociometric Status and Peer Control Attempts: a Multiple Status Hierarchies Approach.
Journal of Management Studies,
54(1), 1-31.
Abstract:
Sociometric Status and Peer Control Attempts: a Multiple Status Hierarchies Approach
We study a population of first year midshipmen within an elite military academy to explore the relationship between individuals’ sociometric status (e.g. status conferrals based on positive interpersonal affect and perceived competence, and status degradations based on negative interpersonal affect) and their attempts to directly control their peers’ behaviour over a year's time. Results show that multiple informal sociometric status hierarchies develop early in the organization's life and remain remarkably stable. Control attempts are driven by these status hierarchies: Lower competence status individuals and those who attract negative status degradations are targeted for control by more people early in the group's life, those relatively free of negative status degradations attempt to control greater numbers of others throughout the group's existence, while higher positive status is generally unrelated to control attempts. However, control attempts do not lead to higher future sociometric status, suggesting they are not status signals. Findings also show that individuals targeted for control by many others leave the organization entirely.
Abstract.
DOI.
2016
Marineau JE, Labianca GJ, Kane GC (2016). Direct and indirect negative ties and individual performance.
Social Networks,
44, 238-252.
Abstract:
Direct and indirect negative ties and individual performance
We argue and find that negative ties are not always liabilities to workplace performance. Instead, negative ties can be beneficial depending on how socially distant they are from the person (i.e. whether they are direct or indirect negative ties), and how those ties are embedded with other ties. Results from a field study at a large life sciences company show that an employee's number of direct negative ties is related to poorer performance, as rated by that individual's supervisor. However, indirect negative ties can either be beneficial or liabilities to performance, depending on whether they are embedded in "open" or "closed" triadic structures.
Abstract.
DOI.
Shipilov A, Labianca G, Kalnysh V, Kalnysh Y (2016). Networking Behaviors Inventory.
DOI.
2015
Sterling CM, Labianca GJ (2015). Costly comparisons: Managing envy in the workplace.
Organizational Dynamics,
44(4), 296-305.
DOI.
Casciaro T, Barsade SG, Edmondson AC, Gibson CB, Krackhardt D, Labianca G (2015). The integration of psychological and network perspectives in organizational scholarship.
Organization Science,
26(4), 1162-1176.
Abstract:
The integration of psychological and network perspectives in organizational scholarship
Although multiple disciplines have been applied to the study of organizations, organizational research is rarely interdisciplinary in the sense of two or more disciplines being linked in the joint analysis of organizational phenomena. The articles in this special issue illustrate the kinds of insights that can be gained by moving from a purely disciplinary perspective on organizational behavior to an interdisciplinary perspective that considers network phenomena and psychological phenomena as intertwined in organizational life. The advances of this special forum notwithstanding, large swaths of network-psychological integration are still largely unexplored in organizational research. We highlight a subset of particularly promising avenues for further interdisciplinary exploration. We also observe that the two research programs have developed into distinct paradigms, making interdisciplinary discourse challenging, and offer suggestions toward a greater integration and collaboration across the two research communities.
Abstract.
DOI.
2014
(2014).
Contemporary Perspectives on Organizational Social Networks., Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
DOI.
Labianca G (2014). Negative ties in organizational networks.
Research in the Sociology of Organizations,
40, 239-259.
Abstract:
Negative ties in organizational networks
Most network research in organizations assumes away the dissociative forces instantiated in negative ties, instead pursuing ties that reflect only associative forces, to the detriment of understanding organizational networks. This essay provides a brief history of negative tie research in organizations; discusses different definitions of negative ties, situating them within the tripartite model of interpersonal attitudes; suggests alternative paths to network dynamics when considering negative ties; covers existing and suggested paths to studying personality antecedents of negative ties; and briefly reviews the research on the consequences of negative ties in organizations and suggestions for future work. Copyright © 2014 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Abstract.
DOI.
Shipilov A, Labianca G, Kalnysh V, Kalnysh Y (2014). Network-building behavioral tendencies, range, and promotion speed.
Social Networks,
39(1), 71-83.
Abstract:
Network-building behavioral tendencies, range, and promotion speed
We studied 459 Ukrainian civil servants to determine how career network-building behavioral tendencies relate to network range and promotion speed. We identify two main behavioral tendencies for initiating social relationships: (a) networking within formal structured groups organized around activities created specifically to encourage members to form personal bonds (structured foci) and (b) individually driven networking outside these structured foci. The study shows that individually driven networking is related to broader network range, while structured foci networking has an inverted-U relationship to network range. The optimal networking for range involves a moderate level of structural foci networking and high levels of individually driven networking. Broad network range is related to faster promotion speed to higher organizational levels. Extroverts have a tendency toward individually driven networking, while high Machiavellians have a tendency toward both individually driven and structured foci networking. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.
Abstract.
DOI.
Venkataramani V, Labianca GJ, Grosser T (2014). Positive and Negative Workplace Relationships, Social Satisfaction, and Organizational Attachment (vol 98, pg 1028, 2013).
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY,
99(3), 450-450.
Author URL.
Smith JM, Halgin DS, Kidwell-Lopez V, Labianca G, Brass DJ, Borgatti SP (2014). Power in politically charged networks.
Social Networks,
36(1), 162-176.
Abstract:
Power in politically charged networks
We offer a theory and measure for determining powerful nodal positions based on potential inter-actor control in "politically charged" networks, which contain both allies and adversaries. Power is derived from actors that are dependent on the focal actor and sociometrically weak, either due to a lack of alternative allies or from being threatened by others. We create a new Political Independence Index (PII), compare it to other established measures, and illustrate its use in the setting of an international network of alliances and military conflicts from 1946 to 2000. Results show that politically independent nations as measured by PII have smaller increases in military personnel than others over time. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Abstract.
DOI.
Kane GC, Alavi M, Labianca G, Borgatti SP (2014). What's different about social media networks? a framework and research agenda.
MIS Quarterly: Management Information Systems,
38(1), 275-304.
Abstract:
What's different about social media networks? a framework and research agenda
In recent years, we have witnessed the rapid proliferation and widespread adoption of a new class of information technologies, commonly known as social media. Researchers often rely on social network analysis (SNA) when attempting to understand these technologies, often without considering how the novel capabilities of social media platforms might affect the underlying theories of SNA, which were developed primarily through studies of offline social networks. This article outlines several key differences between traditional offline social networks and online social media networks by juxtaposing an established typology of social network research with a well-regarded definition of social media platforms that articulates four key features. The results show that at four major points of intersection, social media has considerable theoretical implications for SNA. In exploring these points of intersection, this study outlines a series of theoretically distinct research questions for SNA in social media contexts. These points of intersection offer considerable opportunities for researchers to investigate the theoretical implications introduced by social media and lay the groundwork for a robust social media agenda potentially spanning multiple disciplines.
Abstract.
DOI.
2013
Soltis SM, Agneessens F, Sasovova Z, Labianca G (2013). A social network perspective on turnover intentions: the role of distributive justice and social support.
Human Resource Management,
52(4), 561-584.
Abstract:
A social network perspective on turnover intentions: the role of distributive justice and social support
Organizations are increasingly concerned about retaining human talent, particularly within knowledge-based industries where turnover is expensive. Our study employs a social network perspective to explore the influence of employees' formal and informal workplace relationships on their turnover intentions. We do this in a life sciences organization experiencing employee turnover at over twice the rate of the industry average. Drawing on extant work on the effects of distributive justice at work, we argue that employees who are heavily sought out for advice see themselves as being under-rewarded for the time and effort that goes into providing advice, thus increasing turnover intentions. Additionally, we argue that employees see the ability to seek out advice as a form of social support that embeds them into the organization and decreases intention to quit. By exploring the network positions of individuals in the workflow and advice networks, we demonstrate that when employees are either providing advice to someone they are obligated to work with or are able to seek out advice from others who are not required to work with them, the relationship with turnover intentions is most intense. We conclude by discussing contributions to the theory and practice of human resource management. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abstract.
DOI.
Sterling C, Lopez-Kidwell V, Labianca G, Moon H (2013). Managing sequential task portfolios in the face of temporal atypicality and task complexity.
Human Performance,
26(4), 327-351.
Abstract:
Managing sequential task portfolios in the face of temporal atypicality and task complexity
The authors use a portfolio of sequential tasks to investigate how accurately study participants stick to assigned deadlines when they need to transition from one task to another. Atypical deadlines, task complexity, and individual differences all affect transition error size, error correction, and task performance. In Experiment 1 (N = 108), larger task transition errors were related negatively to task performance and were associated with atypical deadlines (e.g. 4:53 or 4:57), complex tasks, and individuals lower in the general hurry characteristic. In Experiment 2 (N = 95), individuals facing atypical deadlines or lower in need for cognition were less likely to correct transition errors (i.e. getting back to the original schedule), which negatively affected performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Abstract.
DOI.
Venkataramani V, Labianca GJ, Grosser T (2013). Positive and negative workplace relationships, social satisfaction, and organizational attachment.
Journal of Applied Psychology,
98(6), 1028-1039.
Abstract:
Positive and negative workplace relationships, social satisfaction, and organizational attachment
We examine how employees' centrality in the networks of positively valenced ties (e.g. friendship, advice) and negatively valenced ties (e.g. avoidance) at work interact to affect these employees' organizational attachment. Using 2 different samples (154 employees in a division of a food and animal science organization and 144 employees in a product development firm), we found that employees' centrality in positive and negative tie networks at work were related to their organizational attachment indirectly via their impact on employees' satisfaction with their workplace relationships. Further, interaction results in both studies suggest that the effect of employees' centrality in positive tie networks on their satisfaction with workplace social relationships was stronger when employees had more negative relationships but was irrelevant when employees had fewer negative ties. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. © 2013 American Psychological Association.
Abstract.
DOI.
Okhuysen GA, Lepak D, Ashcraft KL, Labianca GJ, Smith V, Steensma HK (2013). Theories of work and working today.
Academy of Management Review,
38(4), 491-502.
Abstract:
Theories of work and working today
The article discusses conceptions of work as a focus of research in the area of organization and management. We consider obstacles in the study of work, including different disciplinary lenses used in research. We discuss the contributions of the articles in this special topic forum, as well as questions generated from them. We end by examining how different disciplines may approach new questions about work, and call for an engaged and rich consideration of work as a dynamic phenomenon. © Academy of Management Review.
Abstract.
DOI.
2012
(2012). <b>Call for Papers</b>—Special Issue on the Psychology of Organizational Networks.
Organization Science,
23(2), 596-596.
DOI.
Grosser TJ, Lopez-Kidwell V, Labianca GL, Ellwardt L (2012). Hearing it through the grapevine. Positive and negative workplace gossip.
Organizational Dynamics,
41(1), 52-61.
DOI.
Brass DJ, Labianca G (2012). Social Networks and Negotiation. In (Ed)
The Psychology of Negotiations in the 21st Century Workplace: New Challenges and New Solutions, 245-268.
Abstract:
Social Networks and Negotiation
Abstract.
DOI.
Brass DJ, Labianca G (2012). Social networks and negotiation. In (Ed)
Century Workplace: New Challanges and New Solutions, 245-267.
DOI.
Ellwardt L, Labianca GJ, Wittek R (2012). Who are the objects of positive and negative gossip at work?. A social network perspective on workplace gossip.
Social Networks,
34(2), 193-205.
Abstract:
Who are the objects of positive and negative gossip at work?. A social network perspective on workplace gossip
Gossip is informal talking about colleagues. Taking a social network perspective, we argue that group boundaries and social status in the informal workplace network determine who the objects of positive and negative gossip are. Gossip networks were collected among 36 employees in a public child care organization, and analyzed using exponential random graph modeling (ERGM). As hypothesized, both positive and negative gossip focuses on colleagues from the own gossiper's work group. Negative gossip is relatively targeted, with the objects being specific individuals, particularly those low in informal status. Positive gossip, in contrast, is spread more evenly throughout the network. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Abstract.
DOI.
2011
Hughes-Morgan M, Ferrier WJ, Labianca G (2011). Chapter 11: the Joint Effect of Top Management Team Heterogeneity and Competitive Behavior on Stock Returns and Risk. In (Ed)
The Handbook of Research on Top Management Teams.
DOI.
Kane GC, Labianca G (2011). IS Avoidance in health-care groups: a multilevel investigation.
Information Systems Research,
22(3), 504-522.
Abstract:
IS Avoidance in health-care groups: a multilevel investigation
The information systems (IS) literature has focused considerable research on IS resistance, particularly in the health-care industry. Most of this attention has focused on the impact of IS resistance on systems' initial implementation, but little research has investigated whether and how post-adoption resistance affects performance. We focus on a particular type of post-adoption resistance, which we call IS avoidance, to identify situations in which individuals avoid working with adopted IS despite the need and opportunity to do so. We examine the effects of IS avoidance on patient care delivered by health-care groups across three levels of analysis: the individual level, the shared group level, and the configural group level. We find that IS avoidance is significantly and negatively related to patient care only at the configural group level, which suggests that patient care is not degraded by the number of doctors and/or nurses in a group avoiding a system, but rather by their locations in the group's workflow network configuration. We use qualitative data collected over 16 months at the research site to help explain these results. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. © 2011 INFORMS.
Abstract.
DOI.
Hughes-Morgan M, Ferrier WJ, Labianca G (2011). The joint effect of top management team heterogeneity and competitive behavior on stock returns and risk. In (Ed) The Handbook of Research on Top Management Teams, 261-283.
2010
Mehra A, Brass DJ, Borgatti SP, Labianca G (2010). A Network Perspective on Mega-Engineering Projects. In (Ed)
Engineering Earth, Springer Netherlands, 769-782.
DOI.
Grosser TJ, Lopez-Kidwell V, Labianca G (2010). A social network analysis of positive and negative gossip in organizational life.
Group and Organization Management,
35(2), 177-212.
Abstract:
A social network analysis of positive and negative gossip in organizational life
The authors use social network analysis to understand how employees' propensity to engage in positive and negative gossip is driven by their underlying relationship ties. They find that expressive friendship ties between employees are positively related to engaging in both positive and negative gossip, whereas instrumental workflow ties, which are less trusting than friendship ties, are related solely with positive gossip. The authors also find that structural embeddedness in the friendship network further increases the chance that the pair will engage in negative gossip. Finally, an employee's total gossiping activity (both positive and negative) is negatively related to supervisors' evaluations of the employee's performance, whereas total gossip activity is positively related to peers' evaluations of the employee's informal influence. © the Author(s) 2010.
Abstract.
DOI.
Labianca GJ (2010). It's Not "Unprofessional" to Gossip at Work.
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW,
88(9), 28-29.
Author URL.
Marineau JE, Labianca GJ (2010). Work and personal based conflict and advice and knowledge seeking relationships.
Abstract:
Work and personal based conflict and advice and knowledge seeking relationships
Abstract.
Marineau JE, Labianca GJ (2010). Work and personal based conflict and advice and knowledge seeking relationships.
Abstract:
Work and personal based conflict and advice and knowledge seeking relationships
Abstract.
DOI.
2009
Johnson J, Labianca GJ, Sin H-P (2009). Illustrating social network analysis's potential for I-O: Workplace interpersonal affect.
DOI.
Borgatti SP, Mehra A, Brass DJ, Labianca G (2009). Network analysis in the social sciences.
Science,
323(5916), 892-895.
Abstract:
Network analysis in the social sciences
Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in network research across the physical and social sciences. For social scientists, the theory of networks has been a gold mine, yielding explanations for social phenomena in a wide variety of disciplines from psychology to economics. Here, we review the kinds of things that social scientists have tried to explain using social network analysis and provide a nutshell description of the basic assumptions, goals, and explanatory mechanisms prevalent in the field. We hope to contribute to a dialogue among researchers from across the physical and social sciences who share a common interest in understanding the antecedents and consequences of network phenomena.
Abstract.
DOI.
Labianca G, Fairbank JF, Andrevski G, Parzen M (2009). Striving toward the future: Aspiration-performance discrepancies and planned organizational change.
Strategic Organization,
7(4), 433-466.
Abstract:
Striving toward the future: Aspiration-performance discrepancies and planned organizational change
Interest has been growing in understanding how organizations' aspiration levels affect their planning for future organizational change. Previous research has not specified whether organizations use direct competitors or other comparable organizations as referents for forming their aspirations. In this study, it is argued that organizations form their social aspirations based on two types of interorganizational comparisons: competitive and striving. In competitive comparisons, an organization compares its current performance against that of its current direct competitors. When relative performance is poor, these organizations plan more extensive and more radical change. However, the study shows that organizations that are performing well relative to competitors do not necessarily become inertial, as theory suggests. Rather, organizations engage in striving comparisons by comparing their current performance against the performance of organizations to which they strive to be like in the future. The analyses show that organizations with large striving discrepancies are driven to more extensive and more radical change, even if they are performing well compared to current competitors. The study examined this interplay between competitive and striving discrepancy in explaining organizational change on a sample of 131 AACSB accredited business schools.© the Author(s), 2009.
Abstract.
DOI.
Sterling CM, Lopez-Kidwell V, Labianca G (2009). Task transition and pacing: the role of temporal atypicality, task complexity, and individual time orientation.
Abstract:
Task transition and pacing: the role of temporal atypicality, task complexity, and individual time orientation
Abstract.
DOI.
Sterling CM, Lopez-Kidwell V, Labianca G (2009). Task transition and pacing: the role of temporal atypicality, task complexity, and individual time orientation.
Abstract:
Task transition and pacing: the role of temporal atypicality, task complexity, and individual time orientation
Abstract.
Fabian F, Molina H, Labianca G (2009). Understanding decisions to internationalize by small and medium-sized firms located in an emerging market.
Management International Review,
49(5), 537-563.
Abstract:
Understanding decisions to internationalize by small and medium-sized firms located in an emerging market
• We examined perceptions differentiating key Colombian decisionmakers in 168 SMEs who decided to either internationalize or remain domestic. An integrative model compares managerial perceptions of competitive, macro-environmental and neo-institutional factors. • Foreign MNEs in the home market significantly differentiated decisions to internationalize, as well as the presence of internationalizing domestic competitors, anticipated product acceptance, and internationalizing suppliers. • the lack of findings for some institutional and macro-environmental factors may reflect important contextual features of the Colombian business environment. © 2009 Gabler-Verlag.
Abstract.
DOI.
2008
Shapiro DL, Brass D, Labianca J (2008). EXAMINING JUSTICE FROM a SOCIAL NETWORK PERSPECTIVE.
Author URL.
2007
Shipilov A, Labianca G, Kalnysh V, Kalnysh Y (2007). Career-related network building behaviors, range social capital, and career outcomes.
Abstract:
Career-related network building behaviors, range social capital, and career outcomes
Abstract.
DOI.
Shipilov A, Labianca G, Kalnysh V, Kalnysh Y (2007). Career-related network building behaviors, range social capital, and career outcomes.
Abstract:
Career-related network building behaviors, range social capital, and career outcomes
Abstract.
2006
Oh H, Labianca G, Chung MH (2006). A multilevel model of group social capital.
Academy of Management Review,
31(3), 569-582.
Abstract:
A multilevel model of group social capital
We introduce the concept of group social capital - the set of resources made available to a group through members' social relationships within the social structure of the group and in the broader formal and informal structure of the organization. We argue that greater group social capital resources lead to greater group effectiveness and that there are many different conduits through which group social capital resources flow. We present a multilevel, multidimensional model arguing that an optimal balance of all these conduits maximizes group social capital resources and group effectiveness. © Academy of Management Review.
Abstract.
DOI.
Labianca G, Brass DJ (2006). Exploring the social ledger: Negative relationships and negative asymmetry in social networks in organizations.
Academy of Management Review,
31(3), 596-614.
Abstract:
Exploring the social ledger: Negative relationships and negative asymmetry in social networks in organizations
We explore the role of negative relationships in the context of social networks in work organizations. Whereas network researchers have emphasized the benefits and opportunities derived from positive interpersonal relationships, we examine the social liabilities that can result from negative relationships in order to flesh out the entire "social ledger." Deriving our argument from theory and research on negative asymmetry, we propose that these negative relationships may have greater power than positive relationships to explain workplace outcomes. © Academy of Management Review.
Abstract.
DOI.
Fairbank JF, Labianca G, Steensma HK, Metters R (2006). Information processing design choices, strategy, and risk management performance.
Journal of Management Information Systems,
23(1), 293-319.
Abstract:
Information processing design choices, strategy, and risk management performance
We examined the relationship between information technology (IT) and organizational performance in the U.S. life/health insurance industry by applying and testing Galbraith's information processing theory and strategic contingency theory. Rather than focusing on resource allocations in IT, we instead examined the manner in which IT is deployed in organizations through information processing design choices. Our results suggest that while some information processing design choices are generally related to organizational performance, others should be matched to a specific strategic posture. For example, we found that all organizations benefit from using IT to increase cost-effectiveness. However, other uses of IT should be more closely aligned with an organization's strategy. In particular, domain offensive organizations should align their IT systems to focus on the front end of their operations and understanding customer needs, which will spur further innovation. © 2006 M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
Abstract.
DOI.
2005
Labianca G, Fairbank JF (2005).
Interorganizational Monitoring: Process, Choices, and Outcomes.Abstract:
Interorganizational Monitoring: Process, Choices, and Outcomes
Abstract.
DOI.
Labianca G, Moon H, Watt I (2005). When is an hour not 60 minutes? Deadlines, temporal schemata, and individual and task group performance.
Academy of Management Journal,
48(4), 677-694.
Abstract:
When is an hour not 60 minutes? Deadlines, temporal schemata, and individual and task group performance
We investigated variation in how deadlines are experienced based on whether they match culturally entrained milestones. Consequences for task performance were also examined. We manipulated starting times on two experimental tasks as prototypical (e.g. 4:00 p.m.) or atypical (e.g. 4:07 p.m). In one experiment, each of 20 task groups was to create a television commercial in one hour. Groups' time pacing and performance varied significantly, and groups with prototypical starting times performed better. In a second experiment, 73 individuals were to divide time equally between two tasks. Individuals with atypical starting times performed more poorly on their second tasks.
Abstract.
DOI.
2004
Oh H, Chung MHO, Labianca G (2004). Group social capital and group effectiveness: the role of informal socializing ties.
Academy of Management Journal,
47(6), 860-875.
Abstract:
Group social capital and group effectiveness: the role of informal socializing ties
This study introduces the concept of group social capital, which is the configuration of group members' social relationships within a group and in the social structure of a broader organization, and tests the proposition that group effectiveness is maximized via optimal configurations of different conduits for such capital. These conduits include intragroup closure relationships and bridging relationships that span vertical and horizontal intergroup boundaries. Results from our 60-team field study of informal socializing ties provide empirical support.
Abstract.
DOI.
Labianca J (2004). The ties that blind.
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW,
82(10), 19-+.
Author URL.
2003
Umphress EE, Labianca G, Brass DJ, Kass E, Scholten L (2003). The Role of Instrumental and Expressive Social Ties in Employees' Perceptions of Organizational Justice.
Organization Science,
14(6).
Abstract:
The Role of Instrumental and Expressive Social Ties in Employees' Perceptions of Organizational Justice
We argue that employees' organizational justice perceptions are, in part, influenced by whom they associate with in the workplace. Consequently, we examine the link between different types of social ties and the interpersonal similarity of employees' perceptions of interactional, procedural, and distributive justice through a social network study in a division of a Fortune 500 firm. We predicted and found that social ties influence perceptions of justice to different extents, depending on the type of justice assessed. Expressive ties were associated with greater similarity in coworkers' perceptions than instrumental ties in the most affect-inducing justice perceptions, perceptions of interactional justice. Our findings suggest that the opinions held by an individual's coworkers influence others' justice perceptions, especially when justice is ambiguous and affect inducing, and that different justice perceptions may be transmitted via different types of social ties.
Abstract.
DOI.
2002
Joshi A, Labianca G, Caligiuri PM (2002). Getting along long distance: Understanding conflict in a multinational team through network analysis.
Journal of World Business,
37(4), 277-284.
Abstract:
Getting along long distance: Understanding conflict in a multinational team through network analysis
Multinational companies (MNCs) create international teams to pool global talent and meet organizational goals. But the many differences among team members are fertile ground for conflict. While traditional conflict management techniques gather all team members together to resolve or minimize conflicts, geographic dispersion greatly increases the time, money, and disruption to daily workflow activities necessary to bring multinational teams together. We use a social network perspective to identify and prioritize conflicts to increase team effectiveness, allowing management to focus on the most critical conflicts first. Further, we show that the most critical might not be between headquarters and country subsidiaries, but between two country subsidiaries. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
DOI.
2001
Labianca G, Fairbank JF, Thomas JB, Gioia DA, Umphress EE (2001). Emulation in Academia: Balancing Structure and Identity.
Organization Science,
12(3), 312-330.
Abstract:
Emulation in Academia: Balancing Structure and Identity
This study seeks to expand our understanding of interorganizational emulation decisions made by top administrators in a broad sample of American colleges and universities. We analyze their emulation choices and show that these decision makers tend to emulate universities similar to their own. Our findings suggest, however, that the choice of emulation target within one's industry is not simply a matter of choosing the most structurally similar organization, but rather that identity-related attributes, such as reputation, organizational image, and organizational identity, also play a significant role in the emulation decision. The data also show that industry subgroups based on emulation decisions (strategic reference groups) differ in both structural and identity-related attributes. Further, interorganizational emulation decisions based on tactics of upward comparison (e.g. emulating universities with better reputations) are associated with greater strategic change, while downward comparisons are associated with greater perceived external threat. Finally, the data show that top management's perceptions of the university's level of environmental threat are related to their choice of a more coarse-grained or fine-grained set of attributes when determining the emulation target. We discuss some of these findings' implications for theory and practice.
Abstract.
DOI.
2000
Labianca G, Gray B, Brass DJ (2000). A Grounded Model of Organizational Schema Change during Empowerment.
Organization Science,
11(2), 235-257.
Abstract:
A Grounded Model of Organizational Schema Change during Empowerment
We analyzed employee resistance to an organizational change project in which employees were empowered to participate in the design of a new organizational structure. What emerged from our analysis was the importance of cognitive barriers to empowerment. Employees' resistance appeared to be motivated less by intentional self-interest than by the constraints of well-established, ingrained schemas. Resistance was also fueled by skepticism among the employees about management's commitment to the new decision-making schema, especially because employees judged managerial actions to be inconsistent with their new espoused framework. A grounded model of schema change is developed for changes in organizational decision-making schemas during empowerment efforts. Theoretical implications and suggestions for improving organizational change efforts are proposed.
Abstract.
DOI.
1999
Brass DJ, Labianca G (1999). Social Capital, Social Liabilities, and Social Resources Management. In (Ed)
Corporate Social Capital and Liability, Springer US, 323-338.
DOI.
1998
Labianca G, Brass DJ, Gray B (1998). Social networks and perceptions of intergroup conflict: the role of negative relationships and third parties.
Academy of Management Journal,
41(1), 55-67.
Abstract:
Social networks and perceptions of intergroup conflict: the role of negative relationships and third parties
This study investigated the relationship between interpersonal relationships among members of different departments and individuals' perceptions of intergroup conflict within an organization. Although friendships across groups were not significantly related to perceptions of intergroup conflict, negative relationships were associated with higher perceived intergroup conflict. Perceptions of intergroup conflict were also significantly related to indirect relationships through friends, and an amplification effect was uncovered. Finally, low intragroup cohesiveness was significantly related to higher perceptions of intergroup conflict.
Abstract.
DOI.