A multilevel analysis of team climate and interpersonal exchange relationships at work

This study advances research on interpersonal exchange relationships by integrating social exchange, workplace friendship and climate research to develop a multilevel model. Data were collected from 215 manager-employee dyads working within 36 teams. At the individual level, LMX was positively associated with TMX and workplace friendship. Further, workplace friendship was positively related to TMX, and mediated the LMX-TMX relationship. At the team level, HLM results demonstrated that the relationship between LMX and workplace friendship was moderated by affective climate. Findings suggest that high-quality LMX relationships are associated with enhanced employees' perceptions of workplace friendship when affective group climate was strong.

Differences in sharing knowledge interpersonally and via databases: The role of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefits

Knowledge sharing is an essential component of effective knowledge management. However, evaluation apprehension, or the fear that your work may be critiqued, can inhibit knowledge sharing. Using the general framework of social exchange theory, we examined the effects of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefit of knowledge sharing ( such as enhanced reputation) on employees' knowledge sharing intentions in two contexts: interpersonal (i.e., by direct contact between two employees) and database (i.e., via repositories). Evaluation apprehension was negatively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in both contexts while perceived bene. it was only positively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in the database context. Moreover, compared to the interpersonal context, evaluation apprehension was higher and knowledge sharing lower in the database context. Finally, the negative effects of evaluation apprehension upon knowledge sharing intentions were worse when perceived benefits were low compared to when perceived benefits were high.

Effective leadership in salient groups: Revisiting leader-member exchange theory from the perspective of the social identity theory of leadership

Two studies compared leader-member exchange (LMX) theory and the social identity theory of leadership. Study 1 surveyed 439 employees of organizations in Wales, measuring Work group salience, leader-member relations, and perceived leadership effectiveness. Study 2 surveyed 128 members of organizations in India, measuring identification not salience and also individualism/collectivism. Both studies provided good support for social identity predictions. Depersonalized leader-member relations were associated with greater leadership effectiveness among high- than low-salient groups (Study 1) and among high than low identifiers (Study 2). Personalized leadership effectiveness was less affected by salience (Study 1) and unaffected by identification (Study 2). Low-salience groups preferred personalized leadership more than did high-salience groups (Study 1). Low identifiers showed no preference but high identifiers preferred depersonalized leadership (Study 2). In Study 2, collectivists did not Prefer depersonalized as opposed to personalized leadership, whereas individualists did, probably because collectivists focus more on the relational self.

Muscularity, the habitus and the social construction of gender: Towards a gender-relevant physical education

This paper begins to develop the concept of gender-relevant physical education, combining the work of Pierre Bourdieu and his notion of the habitus and feminist philosopher Iris Marion Young's analysis of feminine motility. It draws on data generated from a study of young people's articulation of the relationships between muscularity, physicality and gender. The social construction of the body has been of central importance to the construction of femininities and masculinities, and has formed an enduring meta-theme through much of the research on physical education and gender. We build on the young people's insights to argue that Bourdieu's notions of the habitus and the exchange of physical capital provide a useful means of conceptualizing issues of embodiment and gender in school physical education and sport. We conclude by sketching an outline of gender-relevant physical education as a process of interrupting the habitus.

A probabilistic switch model of information flow in social networks: Application for virtual circuits to organizational design

Network building and exchange of information by people within networks is crucial to the innovation process. Contrary to older models, in social networks the flow of information is noncontinuous and nonlinear. There are critical barriers to information flow that operate in a problematic manner. New models and new analytic tools are needed for these systems. This paper introduces the concept of virtual circuits and draws on recent concepts of network modelling and design to introduce a probabilistic switch theory that can be described using matrices. It can be used to model multistep information flow between people within organisational networks, to provide formal definitions of efficient and balanced networks and to describe distortion of information as it passes along human communication channels. The concept of multi-dimensional information space arises naturally from the use of matrices. The theory and the use of serial diagonal matrices have applications to organisational design and to the modelling of other systems. It is hypothesised that opinion leaders or creative individuals are more likely to emerge at information-rich nodes in networks. A mathematical definition of such nodes is developed and it does not invariably correspond with centrality as defined by early work on networks.

Lo-Fi matchmaking: A study of social pairing for backpackers 8th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, UbiComp 2006

It is technically feasible for mobile social software such as pairing or ‘matchmaking’ systems to introduce people to others and assist information exchange. However, little is known about the social structure of many mobile communities or why they would want such pairing systems. While engaged in other work determining requirements for a mobile travel assistant we saw a potentially useful application for a pairing system to facilitate the exchange of travel information between backpackers. To explore this area, we designed two studies involving usage of a low-fidelity role prototype of a social pairing system for backpackers. Backpackers rated the utility of different pairing types, and provided feedback on the social implications of being paired based on travel histories. Practical usage of the social network pairing activity and the implications of broader societal usage are discussed.