The network architecture of human capital : a relational identity perspective

Managing constellations of employee relationships is a core competency in knowledge-based organizations. It is timely, then, that human resource management (HRM) scholars and practitioners are adopting an increasingly relational view of HR. Whereas this burgeoning stream of research predominantly positions relationships as pathways for the transmission of resources, we shift attention by spotlighting that the interplay between HR practices and informal relationships perforate deeper than resource flows; they also influence how individuals view and define themselves in the context of their dyadic and collective relationships. Moreover, because HR practices routinely involve human capital movement into, within, and out of the organization, these practices have implications for the network architecture of organizations. We integrate the social network perspective (Borgatti & Halgin, 2011) with the theory of relational identity (Sluss & Ashforth, 2007) to present a relational theory of HRM that informs how modifications to internal social structures stimulated by HR practices can influence individual outcomes by transforming individuals’ self-concepts as relationships are gained, altered, and lost