题　目：Flexibility in social network brokering

嘉　宾：Kun Wang, Ph.D. candidate, University College London

主　持：李诗科, 助理教授, tyc1286太阳成集团

时　间：2024年09月18日（周三）13:30-15:00

地　点：tyc1286太阳成集团 徐汇校区安泰楼A303室

内容简介:

Social network brokers can engage in various forms of brokering activity that is crucial for organizational and societal functioning. However, brokering also poses challenges, including constraints from disconnected groups and skepticism about brokers’ motives. Who is best equipped to navigate the complexities of brokering activities? To address this question, we introduce the concept of brokering flexibility that captures individual differences in the ability to switch between quite distinct types of brokering approaches, particularly brokering that keeps people and groups apart versus brokering that brings these parties together. Drawing from the ambidexterity theory at the individual level, we suggest that this dynamic adjustment of brokering approaches critically matters for individual success. Using a dataset of four-month email communications of employees in an Australian consulting firm, we measured employees’ brokering flexibility by examining day-to-day variations in their brokering behaviors (i.e., shifts between different brokering approaches). Our analysis revealed two complementary dimensions of flexibility: the magnitude and frequency of changes in brokering behaviors. Results show that, although higher frequency changes in day-to-day brokering behaviors are linked to better performance, larger magnitude changes are associated with lower performance. These effects are significant beyond the influence of employees’ brokerage positions and their strategic orientations toward brokering.

演讲人简介：

Kun Wang is a fifth-year doctoral candidate at the UCL School of Management, University College London, with a major in Organizational Behavior. Her current research interests include social networks, personnel decision-making biases, and self-monitoring personality orientation.

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