Analysis of structural properties of personal networks, jobcommitment and promotion speed of Japanese white-colla workers

本研究以白领员工为研究对象，探讨个人网络的结构特征对员工工作动机和工作承诺的影响。我们进行了一系列调查，调查了高级信息通信企业（1998-1999年）、电子公司（1999年）和各行业年轻白领（2000年）的个人网络和工作。通过对调查数据的分析，我们发现：1）白领员工的人际网络结构在年龄、性别和地位上存在差异; 2）白领员工的人际网络结构在职业上差异不大; 3）白领员工的人际网络结构特征与他们的工作动机和承诺相关; 4）白领员工的创造力和信息收集能力也与他们的工作动机和承诺相关。虽然我们从一个假设开始，即晋升速度与白领员工的个人网络的结构特性相关，但我们无法找到强有力的证据来支持这一假设。我们认为这是由于大多数接受调查的白领工人是根据他们的资历而不是直接表现晋升的。

Personal networks of white-collar workers are examined to determine how the structural properties of personal networks affect workers' motivation and job commitment. We have conducted a series of surveys, survey of personal networks and job of white-collar workers at the advanced info-communication enterprise (1998-1999), at an electronics company (1999), and of young white-collar workers of various industries (2000). Analyzing these survey data, we have found ; 1) the structure of white-collar workers networks differ by their age, gender and status ; 2) they show little differences by job ; 3) structural properties of workers' personal networks correlate with their work motivation and commitment ; and 4) creativity and information-gathering ability of workers also correlate with their' work motivation and commitment. Although we started with a hypothesis that promotion speed correlates with structural properties of white-collar workers' personal networks, we could not find strong evidence to support the hypothesis. We presume this is due do the fact majority of white-collar workers under survey are promoted by their seniority, not by direct performance.