Social Networks and Organizational Interventions: Insights from an Area-Wide Labor-Management Committee

Abstract

In this article, the author discusses a study to determine the effects of interorganizational network structure on the adoption of intervention strategies. The author examined the social network structure of key actors in an area-wide labor-management committee in an industrial city in the northeastern U.S., seeking to determine why some community leaders supported organization development/quality-of-work-life interventions whereas others did not. Using a mail survey of leaders in labor, management, and local government, the author obtained data as to whether respondents had established professional ties only, informal ties only, or both professional and informal ties with members of the community elite. From this analysis, the author concludes that people and organizations with "weak" ties (i.e., professional only) or no ties to the community elite are more likely to support ODI Q WL interventions than are those with "strong" informal and/or professional ties, who will prefer programs that do not threaten current organizational norms.