Research Commons
      • Browse 
        • Communities & Collections
        • Titles
        • Authors
        • By Issue Date
        • Subjects
        • Types
        • Series
      • Help 
        • About
        • Collection Policy
        • OA Mandate Guidelines
        • Guidelines FAQ
        • Contact Us
      • My Account 
        • Sign In
        • Register
      View Item 
      •   Research Commons
      • University of Waikato Research
      • Management
      • Management Papers
      • View Item
      •   Research Commons
      • University of Waikato Research
      • Management
      • Management Papers
      • View Item
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

      Social networks and the cognitive motivation to realise network opportunities: a study of managers' information gathering behaviors

      Anderson, Marc Howard
      DOI
       10.1002/job.459
      Link
       www3.interscience.wiley.com
      Find in your library  
      Citation
      Export citation
      Anderson, M. (2007). Social networks and the cognitive motivation to realise network opportunities: a study of managers' information gathering behaviours. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(1), 51-78.
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/1954
      Abstract
      Information gathering is central to a variety of organizational behavior theories, but researchers have suggested that our understanding of the actual information gathering behaviors of managers is underdeveloped. Social network characteristics are theorized to be a key determinant of information gathering behaviors, but social network research has been criticized for: (1) not measuring the intervening mechanisms by which network characteristics are theorized to have their effects and (2) not considering how actors' motivation affects what network benefits are realized. This article addresses these concerns through an empirical study of the actual information gathering behaviors of managers. It posits that individual differences in a personality variable called need for cognition capture differences in actors' cognitive motivation to realize the potential information benefits that exist in their social networks. Results show that network characteristics do affect information benefits, but these effects are stronger for managers motivated to take advantage of them. These findings both support social capital theory and suggest the important role that personality can play in augmenting social network analyses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
      Date
      2007
      Type
      Journal Article
      Publisher
      John Wiley and Sons
      Collections
      • Management Papers [1125]
      Show full item record  

      Usage

       
       
       

      Usage Statistics

      For this itemFor all of Research Commons

      The University of Waikato - Te Whare Wānanga o WaikatoFeedback and RequestsCopyright and Legal Statement