Author(s)
  Nelson, Reed E.

Source
  Journal of Business Communication Fall 1991, v28n4, p. 367-386 (20 pages)

Abstract:
  To a great degree, social systems, including organizations, are defined by the contacts that connect their elements. Therefore, an understanding of these contacts is fundamental to the administrative sciences. The relationship between performance and social networks is analyzed across a sample of 14 mainline protestant churches. The findings suggest that high performers have overall more weak ties, higher numbers of intergroup strong ties, and more within group very strong ties than low performers. Basically, the results describe high-performing churches as featuring predominantly weak ties in their make-up, but using disproportionate numbers of strong ties to bridge groups, and harboring very strong ties within groups in greater proportion than low performers.