Tasselli, Stefano and Zappa, Paola and Lomi, Alessandro
(2020)
Bridging Cultural Holes in Organizations: The Dynamic Structure
of Social Networks and Organizational Vocabularies Within and
Across Subunits.
Organization Science, 31 (5).
pp. 1-21.
ISSN 1047-7039
Abstract
The mechanisms by which social networks and organizational vocabularies
combine jointly to affect communication patterns across organizational boundaries
remain largely unexplored. In this paper, we examine the mutually constitutive relation
between the network ties through which organizational members communicate with
each other and the vocabularies that they use to describe their organization. We suggest
that the dynamic structure of social networks and organizational vocabularies is contingent on the formal design of organizational subunits. Within subunit boundaries,
members who interact with each other are more likely to develop similar vocabularies
over time. Interestingly, between subunits, the more two members share similar organizational vocabularies, the more likely they are to form a tie over time. We find
empirical evidence for these arguments in a longitudinal study conducted among the
managers of a multiunit organization. Organizational vocabularies, we suggest, may
sustain communication patterns across organizational boundaries, thus bridging cultural holes within organizations.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Additional Information: |
Cite as: Stefano Tasselli, Paola Zappa, Alessandro Lomi (2020) Bridging Cultural Holes in Organizations: The Dynamic Structure of
Social Networks and Organizational Vocabularies Within and Across Subunits. Organization Science |
| Keywords: |
organizational vocabularies; organizational social networks; organizational design; boundary spanning;
organizational communication; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Business |
| Item ID: |
13965 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2019.1352 |
| Depositing User: |
Paola Zappa
|
| Date Deposited: |
08 Feb 2021 15:23 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Organization Science |
| Publisher: |
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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