Contextualizing social networks: The role of person–organization fit in the network–job performance relationship

While scholars have attended to the performance implications of employee embeddedness in social networks within the workplace, less research accounts for the interface of employee and organizational values in enabling employees to leverage these networks. Network perspectives on employee performance acknowledge that certain informal network positions create resources that are beneficial for performance while simultaneously creating demands that may diminish or erode these benefits. Leveraging a Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) perspective, we suggest that person–organization (PO) fit—the perceived congruence between individual and organizational values—will play a crucial role in shaping the performance effects of demands and resources inherently generated by workplace relationships. Results suggest that PO fit moderates relationships between network positions and individual job performance. Specifically, we find that having many friendships or being heavily sought out for advice enhances performance for those with higher levels of PO fit. Supplemental analyses highlight that incoming friendships or advice ties that are cross-functional are still beneficial for those among the highest in PO fit, but also that these same network positions can be detrimental for employees who are among the lowest in PO fit. These results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the demands and resources generated by informal networks and how the translation of these features into performance is contingent upon the extent to which an employee identifies with organizational values.