Keep or drop? The origin and evolution of knowledge relationships in organizations

Networkresearchshowsthatstrongrelationships,highlyembeddedrelationshipsandbrokeredrelationshipsmayhavedifferentoutcomes.Whileprosandconsareassociatedwith each of these network structures, how this ambiguity translates into individuals’ actions of networkchangeisunclear.Specifically,if networkpositionscanbebothbeneficialand detrimental, how do individuals decide whether to maintain those positions? We develop a tie-specific model of network modification that captures the positioning in the workrelatednetworkandthelevelof knowledgeacquiredfromthatnetworkforeachindividual in a knowledge-intensive organization. Our analysis of tie-level data identifies the level of acquired knowledge as an important disambiguating mechanism that determines how individuals manage their strong ties, embedded ties and brokered ties over time.