The Research Of Middle Level Managers’leadership Behavior And Social Network Analysis Of C Company

Middle level managers are vital for successful implementation of strategic initiatives,as well as for the organization’s ultimate survival.Drawing on the classic behavioral model of leadership(task-and person-focused behaviors)and social network theory and analysis,this case study investigated middle managers of C Company using qualitative(in-depth interviews)and quantitative(social network survey and archival performance data)methodologies.Analysis of all 17 middle level managers in C Company reveals that both task-and person-focused leadership behaviors were associated with leader effectiveness and team performance.In addition,boundary spanning and empowerment are especially important and worth further attention.Further,indices of network centrality and structural hole were positively and negatively related to leader effectiveness,respectively.Most interestingly,leader behaviors are more beneficial when combining with leaders’ social network analyses: highest performance occurred when levels of both types of leader behaviors were high,with high network centralities and low structural roles.More advanced social division of labor and complex organizational structure call for further leadership research that fit in contemporary organizations.One focus is to understand leadership effectiveness under different conditions.As team collaboration becomes ubiquitous in the workplace,it would be interesting and insightful to introduce social network analysis into leadership research.Doing so also sheds light on managerial practices in locating and developing senior leaders from middle level managers,all in the direction of sustainable development.