The effect of perceptions of exploration and exploitation work activities on dynamic organizational knowledge networks

We examine how perceptions of work activities regarding exploration (i.e., pursuit of knowledge for innovation) and exploitation (i.e., pursuit of knowledge for maximizing the benefits of existing resources) affects how individuals change their knowledge networks. We theorize how network choices regarding dynamic micro-network mechanisms of tie change and stability, reciprocity, and closure are influenced by perceptions of exploration and exploitation work activity. We test our ideas in a dataset comprising 135 employees at three time points in an R&D unit using the actor-based Simulation Investigation for Empirical Network Analysis (SIENA) modeling framework. We find that employees with perceptions of high versus low exploration work activity are more likely to change their network ties, make reciprocal knowledge ties, and have open triadic knowledge networks. Employees with perceptions of high versus low exploitation work activity also are more likely to change their network ties, however, they prefer unreciprocated knowledge ties, and closed triadic knowledge networks.