Dissonant Ties in Intraorganizational Networks: Why Individuals Seek Problem-Solving Assistance from Difficult Colleagues

Brennecke, J ORCID: 0000-0001-8174-5212 (2020) Dissonant Ties in Intraorganizational Networks: Why Individuals Seek Problem-Solving Assistance from Difficult Colleagues Academy of Management Journal, 63 (3). pp. 743-778. ISSN 0001-4273, 1948-0989

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Abstract

This paper investigates employees seeking problem-solving assistance from colleagues with whom they find it difficult to work. In so doing, the paper introduces the construct of “dissonant ties”: network ties to colleagues that are simultaneously positive and negative. The study builds on the assumption that individuals in knowledge-intensive workplaces employ dissonant ties to access distinct work-related benefits, and establishes a link between dissonant ties and performance. Subsequently, it provides an in-depth analysis of employees’ willingness to rely on this potentially unpleasant but instrumental networking behavior, and suggests that formal hierarchical rank, tenure, and unit membership, as critical elements of the organizational architecture, drive dissonant tie formation. In the empirical analysis, the study utilizes survey and interview data collected from engineers in a large manufacturing firm. The findings confirm that seeking problem-solving assistance from difficult colleagues entails performance benefits. Moreover, the embeddedness of individuals in the organizational architecture shapes the employment of dissonant ties. Dissonant ties are, hence, context driven. By simultaneously addressing the consequences and the drivers of employees’ networking behavior, the study presents a comprehensive theory of dissonant ties that challenges and refines previous research on the interplay between positive and negative networks.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	3505 Human Resources and Industrial Relations, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 3507 Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	13 May 2019 07:24
Last Modified:	01 Mar 2026 02:21
DOI:	10.5465/amj.2017.0399
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3040868
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