The micro-mechanisms of brokerage: How employees' personal attributes and behavioral strategies shape network structures and work behaviors in organizations

One of the greatest limitations of current research on social networks is the lack of attention to the behaviors and characteristics of individuals that compose and transform networks. In reality, there are substantial differences between individuals in terms of their motives, individual orientations, and personal characteristics that influence the functioning and outcomes of social processes. By combining sociological literature on social networks with psychological literatures on individual behaviors and characteristics, this project aims to advance a more complete understanding of how important work outcomes evolve from the pursuits and behaviors of individuals embedded in varying contexts. To empirically address these issues, the research involves collecting a series of surveys and data from objective sources. In doing so, this research generates new and useful knowledge on how networks can be better harnessed to produce innovations, performance, and other relevant outcomes.