ABSTRACT

Intrafirm networks enable service employees to transform market orientation behaviours into innovation behaviours. Few studies, however, have investigated how network centrality in intrafirm networks can moderate this relationship. This paper investigates how service employees can leverage their intrafirm network popularity in three types of social networks: advice, friendship, and multiplex networks. The findings of a multi-source, multilevel study among 1175 service employees embedded in 60 firms demonstrate the important role of multiplex-network centrality. Employees who have a central position in multiplex networks (with overlapping friendship and advice ties) can tap into the complementarity of the assets rooted in friendship and advice networks, allowing them to more effectively convert market orientation into innovation behaviours. Our study demonstrates the importance of investigating multiplex relationships next to uniplex relationships in order to better understand the relative effects of different network types. Direct implications are given to encourage employees’ MO and innovation efforts.

摘要

公司内部网络使服务员工能够将市场导向行为转变为创新行为。然而，很少有研究调查公司内部网络中的网络中心性如何调节这种关系。本文调查了服务业员工如何在三种类型的社交网络中利用他们的公司内部网络流行度：建议、友谊和多重网络。对 60 家公司的 1175 名服务员工进行的多源、多层次研究的结果证明了多重网络中心性的重要作用。在多元网络中处于中心位置（具有重叠的友谊和建议关系）的员工可以利用基于友谊和建议网络的资产的互补性，使他们能够更有效地将市场导向转化为创新行为。我们的研究表明，为了更好地了解不同网络类型的相对影响，调查单工关系旁边的多路关系很重要。直接影响鼓励员工的 MO 和创新努力。