Strategic Management Quarterly

The Mediating Role of a Strategic Alliance of Information and Organizational Social Capital on the Social Networks-Organizational Performance Relationship: Evidence from Chinese Listed Firms
Dr. Helen Guan

Abstract
Previous Chinese social network studies have paid less attention to how managers use social networks as an alliance of social capital to achieve their organizational goals, and have neglected to examine strategic alliances of resources as the cognitive dimension of social capital as a mediator in the social networks-organizational performance relationship. Based on social capital theory, this study examined the relationship between an alliance of social capital in terms of the tie strength of social networks (business, government, and employee ties) and organizational performance, and the mediating effect of a strategic alliance of information and organizational social capital in such a relationship. Data were collected through a survey of 300 Chinese listed firms. Results indicate that the strategic alliance of information and organizational social capital plays a mediating role in the positive relationship between the alliance of social capital in terms of the tie strength of the three types of social networks and organizational performance. This study contributes to our understanding of how managers use and manage social networks as an alliance of social capital and the strategic alliance of information and organizational social capital as the cognitive dimension of social capital, to achieve the firm’s profit and growth goals.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/smq.v6n1_2a1