Knowledge, Performative Ties, and the Theory of the Firm

Although Knowledge has grown to occupy a major role in the discussion on firm performance, we currently know little about the micro-processes involved in search and transfer of knowledge. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in a large, multinational professional service firm, we identify a frequent phenomenon in which employees successfully extend ties to unacquainted others, bypassing direct and indirect network ties altogether. We present the minutiae of such tie extension, and hypothesize on two circumstantial conditions to its success: affiliation and status similarity. Highlighting the difference between the observed phenomenon, indirect ties, and complete unacquaintanceship, we present a definition of performative ties. Weaker than weak ties but stronger than complete unacquaintanceship, performative ties require 1) in-vivo tie extension enabled by 2) an existing infrastructure of collective social capital. We argue that such ties are theoretically significant, have several advantages for knowledge dissemination, and have been observed elsewhere, although never explicitly identified. We conclude by pointing out some of the implication of performative ties, including their relation to the notion of gains from structural position.