Embeddedness

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Embeddedness is the degree to which individuals or firms are enmeshed in a social network.[1] The concept was introduced by sociologist Mark Granovetter; the term embeddedness involves the overlap between social & economic ties within and between organizations (Granovetter, 1985).

The term embeddedness makes reference to the effects of social relationships (trust and cohesion) on economic outcomes, and to the inertial tendency to repeat transactions over time. Karl Polanyi (1944: 46) wrote: "… man's economy, as a rule, is submerged in his social relationships“. This is very true for people working for tips (e.g. waiters).

The term was further popularized by the book Bowling Alone, by political scientist Robert Putnam.[2]

Contents

Job Embeddedness

Job embeddedness is a type of embeddedness that captures all the factors enmeshing employees in their jobs. Numerous studies have shown job embeddedness to be a good predictor of an employee’s tendency to stay in a job despite an external shock that might otherwise cause him to quit (Allen, 2006; Crossley, Bennett, Jex, & Burnfield, 2007; Holtom, Mitchell, & Lee, 2006; Holtom & O’Neill, 2004; Lee, Mitchell, Sablynski, Burton, & Holtom, 2004; Mitchell et al., 2001).[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Job embeddedness items

1. My job utilizes my skills and talents well.
2. I feel like I am a good match for my organization.
3. If I stay with my organization, I will be able to achieve most of my goals.
4. I really love the place where I live.
5. The place where I live is a good match for me.
6. The area where I live offers the leisure activities that I like (sports, outdoor activities, cultural events & arts).
7. I have a lot of freedom on this job to pursue my goals.
8. I would sacrifice a lot if I left this job.
9. I believe the prospects for continuing employment with my organization are excellent.
10. Leaving the community where I live would be very hard.
11. If I were to leave the community, I would miss my non-work friends.
12. If I were to leave the area where I live, I would miss my neighborhood.
13. I am a member of an effective work group.
14. I work closely with my coworkers.
15. On the job, I interact frequently with my work group members.
16. My family roots are in this community.
17. I am active in one or more community organizations (e.g., churches, sports teams, schools, etc.).
18. I participate in cultural and recreational activities in my local area.
19. Are you currently married?
20. If you are currently married, does your spouse work outside the home?
21. Do you own a home (with or without a mortgage)?

Recent job embeddedness research

Terence R. Mitchell, Thomas W. Lee and colleagues (Brooks C. Holtom, Chris J. Sablynski, and Miriam Erez) developed the job embeddedness construct in the late 1990s and published the first empirical article on the topic, "Why People Stay: Using Job Embeddedness to Predict Voluntary Turnover" in 2001 in Academy of Management Journal.

David R. Hekman and colleagues (2009) found that low levels of job embeddedness are contagious and tend to spread like a disease from coworker to coworker.[9] Coworkers who had very low levels of job embeddedness actually influenced their coworkers to quit, simply through social influence.

References

  1. ^ Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness", American Journal of Sociology 91 (3): 481-510, November 1985
  2. ^ Putnam, Robert D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
  3. ^ Allen, D. G. 2006. Do organizational socialization tactics influence newcomer embeddedness and turnover? Journal of Management, 32: 237–256.
  4. ^ Crossley, C. D., Bennett, R. J., Jex, S. M., & Burnfield, J. L. 2007. Development of a global measure of job embeddedness and integration into a traditional model of voluntary turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92: 1031–1042.
  5. ^ Holtom, B. C., & O’Neill, B. S. 2004. Job embeddedness: A theoretical foundation for developing a comprehensive nurse retention plan. Journal of Nursing Administration, 34: 216 –227.
  6. ^ Holtom, B. C., Mitchell, T. R., & Lee, T. W. 2006. Increasing human and social capital by applying job embeddedness theory. Organizational Dynamics, 35(4): 316 –331.
  7. ^ Lee, T. W., Mitchell, T. R., Sablynski, C. J., Burton, J. P., & Holtom, B. C. 2004. The effects of job embeddedness on organizational citizenship, job performance, volitional absences, and voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 47: 711–722.
  8. ^ Mitchell, T. R., Holtom, B. C., Lee, T. W., Sablynski, C. J., & Erez, M. 2001. Why people stay: Using job embeddedness to predict voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 44: 1102–1121.tangibles to get bottom-line results. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Wiley.
  9. ^ Felps, W., Mitchell, T.R., Hekman, D.R., Lee, T.M, Harman, W., Holtom, B. (2009) “Turnover Contagion: How Coworkers’ Job Embeddedness and Coworkers’ Job Search Behaviors Influence Quitting.” Academy of Management Journal. 52(3): 545-561.