Sunbelt XXXI International Network for Social Network ... - INSNA

Leadership Behavior, Network Centrality, And Innovation:Moolenaar, Nienke M.; Daly, Alan J.; Sleegers, Peter J.Leadership NetworksIntra‐organizational Networks, Centrality, Leadership, Multilevel Analysis, Advice Network, InnovationSAT.PM1Leadership is one of the most examined concepts in the social science literature. Scholars that examine leadership are increasingly recognizing the importanceof social processes and relational linkages involved in leading. Leadership in its broadest sense has often been conceptualized as a process of influence towardan outcome. Social relationships therefore may provide leaders with the necessary infrastructure to exert social influence in achieving individual andorganizational goals. This study aimed to investigate the interplay between school leaders’ positions in their schools’ social networks and their leadershipbehavior, and its impact on schools’ innovative climate. The study was conducted among 702 teachers and 51 principals in 51 elementary schools in a largeeducational system in the Netherlands. Using social network analysis, multilevel analysis, and network visualizations, we analyzed a survey with social networkquestions on work related and personal advice and Likert‐type scales for transformational leadership and innovative climate. Findings indicated that leadershipbehavior and principals’ social network position (in terms of degree, closeness, and betweenness centrality) was predictive of schools’ innovative climate. Themore principals were sought for professional and personal advice, and the more closely connected they were to their teachers, the more willing teachers wereto invest in change and the creation of new knowledge and practices. Moreover, work related closeness centrality was found to mediate the relationshipbetween transformational leadership and innovative climate. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Linking Social Networks And Agroecology Management For Information DiffusionIsaac, Marney E.; Dawoe, EvansCommunication NetworksCommunication Networks, Natural Resource Management, Ego‐centered Networks, Advice Network, Agriculture, Integrated Social‐ecological Network AnalysisFRI.PM1The implementation of sustainable agricultural systems has become of increasing interest, and of particular importance is the distribution of information onagrodiversity management. Accordingly, we investigated producer‐to‐producer and producer‐to‐rural institution networks in Ghana to determine structuralfeatures of agrarian communication networks. Individual network metrics (density scores) were correlated to management employing agrodiversity (speciesrichness) as an estimate of management. This was done to establish some measures between network structural characteristics and sustainable agrarianmanagement. Pooled data from two regions of Ghana showed a negative relationship between individual network density (excluding institutions) and thenumber of reported species (r = 0.35). This suggests that increasing ties between community members did not forecast adoption of agrodiversity. Regardless ofweak or strong institutional support, higher reporting of agrodiversity occurred from individuals with relatively low‐density ego‐networks. This suggests ahigher adoption frequency with fewer informal ties, particularly among alters. It is possible that with increasing ties, information becomes redundant or evenconflicting. Information excess may lead to information homogenization and thus declining sustainable resource use. Characterization of emerging networkstructure will play a critical role in the transfer of sustainable agriculture.