Intra‐organizational network resources : How they relate to career success and organizational commitment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of intra‐organizational network resources with career success and organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilized survey data from 316 British individuals who composed a highly heterogeneous sample in terms of both organizational roles and employment settings. Findings – The study finds that total intra‐organizational network resources were related to extrinsic and intrinsic career success, and to affective organizational commitment. Instrumental and expressive network resources were differentially related to career success and organizational commitment. Research limitations/implications – The relationships were identified after controlling for an array of factors and for mentoring received, which attests to the importance of intra‐organizational network resources for career outcomes and attitudes towards the organization. The cross‐sectional design is a limitation of the study. Future research should investigate moderating factors, and must be extended to cultural clusters other from the Anglo‐Saxon one. Practical implications – From an individual point of view, building networks of relationships within the organization enhances career prospects, regardless of whether a mentor is present. From an organizational viewpoint, organizational designs and human resource systems that promote the development of informal relationship ties foster those aspects of commitment that have positive consequences and inhibit those that have negative consequences. Originality/value – The study provided original evidence for the link between intra‐organizational relationship ties and commitment towards the organization. In addition, it consolidated evidence on the relationship of network resources to career success, the distinct nature of instrumental and expressive network resources, and the additive value of network resources and mentoring as parts of social capital.