Formal Hierarchies and Informal Networks: How Organizational Structure Shapes Information Search in Local Government

TL;DR

This study investigates how formal organizational hierarchies influence informal information search behaviors within local government, highlighting the importance of structural attributes in shaping knowledge flows and suggesting design improvements.

Contribution

It emphasizes the significance of formal hierarchy in modeling knowledge flows and empirically demonstrates its impact on information search patterns in public organizations.

Findings

Formal status influences information search behavior

Permission pathways affect how employees seek information

Departmental membership shapes information flow patterns

Abstract

Attention to informal communication networks within public organizations has grown in recent decades. While research has documented the role of individual cognition and social structure in understanding information search in organizations, this article emphasizes the importance of formal hierarchy. We argue that the structural attributes of bureaucracies are too important to be neglected when modeling knowledge flows in public organizations. Empirically, we examine interpersonal information seeking patterns among 143 employees in a small city government, using exponential random graph modeling (ERGM). The results suggest that formal structure strongly shapes information search patterns while accounting for social network variables and individual level perceptions. We find that formal status, permission pathways, and departmental membership all affect the information search of employees. Understanding the effects of organizational structure on information search networks will offer opportunities to improve information flows in public organizations via design choices.