The Effects of Communication Networks on Shared Social Identity and Group Performance

Abstract

We investigate whether communication networks influence group performance by affecting a group’s shared social identity. We hypothesized that a group’s communication network would influence members’ shared social identity by affecting similarities in individuals’ connections within the group. We manipulated the density and centralization of communication networks in a laboratory experiment. Density had a more positive effect on a shared social identity and group performance when networks were lower in centralization, which led to more similar patterns of connections, than in networks higher in centralization. Further, shared social identity mediated the effect of the network on group performance.