Affective Primacy in Intraorganizational Task Networks

To better understand the causal role of affect in the formation of task-related networks in organizations, we develop a theory of affective primacy that identifies cognitive and motivational mechanisms through which the affective value of social interactions (a feeling of positive affect from interacting with a colleague) operates as a cause of instrumental value (a subjective evaluation of an interaction’s contribution to accomplishing assigned tasks). We test this theory with longitudinal whole-network data collected over three years from employees in a small functional-form organization, which we analyze with a methodology drawing from the social relations model of interpersonal perception and Bayesian models for social network analysis. We find that the affective value of social interactions influences both perceptions of instrumental value and the formation of task-related ties through multiple causal paths not accounted for by either instrumental value or formal-structural requirements. The results also indicate that the causal role of affective value in the emergence of task-related networks rests primarily on high-activation positive emotions, such as excitement (a subjective state of feeling energized) rather than positive emotions with lower levels of activation, such as enjoyment (a subjective state of feeling gratified). We discuss implications of these findings for organizational theory and managerial practice.