Who You Know: Pre-Entry Contacts and Post-Entry Social Structure Open Access

Abstract

Abstract
Who You Know: Pre-Entry Contacts and Post-Entry Social Structure
By Adina D. Sterling

A growing body of research suggests that disparities in workers' networks propel them
into stratified opportunities in organizations. Workers that are embedded in organizational
networks have greater resources and career rewards than less socially-connected workers. Little
is known, however, about how structural differences in workers' networks arise.
This dissertation presents and tests a theory on the origins of structural differences in
workers' networks. The theory points to the significance of pre-entry relationships that influence
access to networks in organizations. I argue that pre-entry relationships are a product of an
external structure that conditions interaction opportunities between organizational insiders and
outsiders. When workers are hired with pre-entry relationships they form more social ties in
organizations than workers without pre-entry relationships.
After establishing the relationship between pre- and post-entry social structure, I develop
arguments on how these structures impact mobility in organizations. Past research indicates that
all other things equal, individuals with relationships to organizational members are more likely to
be hired by employers. Here I suggest that pre-entry contacts also influence career outcomes
after individuals join organizations. I examine the influence of pre- and post-entry social
structure on post-entry mobility.
I test these predictions using data collected from graduate students in business and law
that completed internships. I investigate the effect of pre-entry relationships on the networks that
graduate students formed and on their acquisition of post-graduate job offers from employers. An
important concern when testing this prediction is that pre-entry contacts are not randomly
assigned. My context affords me the chance to observe graduate students' networks at the
university. I use their university networks as a proxy for network behavior in regression Models.
Additionally I use a two-stage IV technique to determine if external structures condition the
likelihood of having pre-entry relationships that subsequently impact post-entry networks and
career rewards. Finally I conduct semi-structured interviews to gain qualitative insights on pre-
and post-entry social structures and careers. Quantitative and qualitative evidence suggests that
networks and mobility outcomes are rooted in pre-entry relationships.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ iv
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... vi
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. ix
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... x

Introduction
The Social Structure of Opportunity in Organizations ................................................................................. 1
Dissertation Overview ................................................................................................................................. 3

Chapter 1
Who You Know: Pre-Entry Contacts and Post-Entry Social Structure
Structural Inequality in the Workplace ......................................................................................................... 8
Pre-Entry Contacts, Post-Entry Networks and Macro-Micro Links ........................................................... 10
Research Setting ......................................................................................................................................... 13
Sample and Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 14
Results ........................................................................................................................................................ 22
Robustness Checks ..................................................................................................................................... 26
Mechanisms ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Discussion .................................................................................................................................................. 37
Limitations and Future Work ..................................................................................................................... 38

Chapter 2
Social Structure and Hiring after Trial Employment
Non-Standard Work in Organizations ......................................................................................................... 45
Pre-Entry Social Structure and Trial Employment ..................................................................................... 47
The Mediating Effect of Post-Entry Social Structure ................................................................................. 49
Sample and Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 51
Analyses and Results ................................................................................................................................. 53
Robustness Checks ..................................................................................................................................... 57
Discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 60

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 63
References .................................................................................................................................................. 77

List of Figures

Figure 1.1 Intern Recognition of Employees in their Organization Prior to Entry .................................... 88
Figure 1.2 Average Number of Post-Entry Ties Interns Formed ................................................................ 89
Figure 1.3 Average Level of Normative Proficiency of Interns Pre-Entry ................................................ 99
Figure 2.1 Percentage of Interns Receiving Offers .................................................................................. 106
Figure 3.1 The Number of New Post-Entry Ties Formed Over Time ..................................................... 114

List of Tables

Table 1.1 Relational Characteristics of Pre-Entry Contacts ....................................................................... 90
Table 1.2 Means, Standard Deviations, and Correlations .......................................................................... 91
Table 1.3 Comparison of Post-Entry Ties Formed for Law and Business Student Interns ....................... 93
Table 1.4.1 Negative Binomial Regression Models of Post-entry Ties Formed ........................................ 94
Table 1.4.2 Negative Binomial Regression Models of Post-entry Ties Formed ........................................ 95
Table 1.5 Probit Model of Having a Pre-Entry Contact ............................................................................. 96
Table 1.6 IV-OLS Second Stage Regressions ........................................................................................... 97
Table 1.7 Bivariate Correlations for Instruments used in Two-Stage IV Regression ................................ 98
Table 1.8 Robustness Checks of the Effect of Pre-Entry Contacts on Post-Entry Ties ........................... 100
Table 1.9 Mediation Analysis ................................................................................................................... 101
Table 1.10 Effect of Pre-Entry Contacts on the Number of Weak and Strong Ties ................................ 102
Table 1.11 Effect of Mentors on Post-Entry Ties Formed ....................................................................... 103
Table 1.12 Effect of Self-Monitoring on Post-Entry Ties Formed ........................................................... 104
Table 1.13 Effect of Race and Gender on Post-Entry Ties Formed ......................................................... 105
Table 2.1 Descriptive Statistics of Variables Used in Offer Analysis ...................................................... 107
Table 2.2 Mean Comparison of Job Offer Rates for Interns ..................................................................... 108
Table 2.3 Logit Models of the Effect of Pre-Entry Contacts on Offers .................................................... 109
Table 2.4 Change in the Probability of Obtaining Job Offers with a Pre-Entry ...................................... 110
Table 2.5 IV Estimation of the Effect of Pre-Entry Contacts on Job Offers ............................................. 111
Table 2.6 First-stage OLS IV Model of Having Pre-Entry Contact.......................................................... 112
Table 2.7. Partial Correlations Between Offer Outcome and Instruments ................................................ 113

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Business
Degree	PhD
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Business Administration, Management Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations
Keyword	social structure organizations careers networks stratification
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Roberts, Peter, Emory University
Committee Members	O'Connor, Kathleen, Cornell Rider, Chris, Emory University Perry-Smith, Jill, Emory University

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