Never walk alone: achieving work performance through networking ability and autonomy
| Published date | 13 February 2017 |
| Pages | 240-253 |
| Date | 13 February 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-09-2016-0185 |
| Author | Torstein Nesheim,Karen Modesta Olsen,Alexander Madsen Sandvik |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
Never walk alone: achieving work
performance through networking
ability and autonomy
Torstein Nesheim
Centre for Applied Research at NHH, Bergen, Norway
Karen Modesta Olsen
Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), Bergen, Norway, and
Alexander Madsen Sandvik
Department of Strategy and Management, Norges Handelshoyskole,
Bergen, Norway
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between networking ability, autonomy
and work performance.
Design/methodology/approach –The data, collected from a sample of 510 employees in a professional
service firm, were analysed using regression analysis.
Findings –First, networking abi lity and autonomy are posi tively associated with i n-role and extra-role
performance. Second, th e greater the job autonomy, the stro nger the effect of networking a bility on
in-role performance.
Originality/value –This paper adds to the growing body of literature on demand for social
and interpersonal skills in organisations. The authors combine the literature on work design with the
literature on networking ability and complexity in employment relations. The authors’findings show
the importance of networking ability and autonomy for work performance, as well as pointing to factorssuch
as age and work experience.
Keywords Skills, Employee behaviour, Autonomy, Human resource management, Work performance,
Networking ability
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Research on work design has recently shown interest in the role of social and interpersonal
aspects. Jobs, work roles and tasks are socially embedded, and employees’ability to communicate
and build interpersonal relationships is becoming increasingly important in the “knowledge-
economy”(Grant and Parker, 2009). Interpersonal skills refer to skills related to social sensitivity,
relationship building, working with others, listening and communication (Lievens and Sackett,
2012). We study how one aspect of interpersonal skills, networking ability, and one core aspect of
work design, autonomy, relate to employees’work performance in a professional service firm
(PSF). In PSFs, employees are expected to have a certain degree of autonomy due to their expert
knowledge (Reed, 1996). In parallel, employees in PSFs also have extensive interpersonal
relations with client firms, colleagues and managers (Donnelly, 2006, 2009; Kinnie and Swart,
2012; Olsen et al., 2016). In such settings, the employees’ability to navigate these complex
employment relationships constitutes an important basis for strong performance.
Employee Relations
Vol. 39 No. 2, 2017
pp. 240-253
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-09-2016-0185
Received 27 September 2016
Revised 15 December 2016
Accepted 15 December 2016
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
This research was funded by the research programme FOCUS (Future-oriented Corporate Solutions) at
Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). The authors especially thank the professional service firm for
providing us with access to conduct the survey, and the authors thank the employees for taking time to
participate. The authors also thank seminar participants for valuable comments to previous versions
of this work.
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ER
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