Welcome, stranger

doi:10.1002/smj.70014

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Welcome, stranger

2025-10-01

Jian Bai Li

Henning Piezunka *

DOI：10.1002/smj.70014

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Abstract

En 中文

Research Summary How can organizations establish collaboration between their established members and a newly hired member? We address this question by studying firms undergoing scaling using a multiple-case study. We find that widely involving the new hire into the established managers' activities backfires. Such extensive involvement is intended to build the same kind of strong, personal relationships with the new hire that the established managers share amongst themselves and, in doing so, establish collaboration. But the established managers' relationships turn out to be irreplicable. Being extensively involved without possessing the same kind of relationships, the new hire becomes perceived as an intruder. In contrast, involving the new hire more selectively led to the new hire becoming respected as a relationally distant but professionally appreciated stranger, which engendered effective collaboration.Managerial Summary Collaboration between a company's newly hired and established managers is necessary for it to scale but difficult to establish. Many firms mistakenly attempt to involve a new hire in the established managers' activities as much as possible, hoping to build strong personal bonds quickly. We show that this strategy often backfires. The kind of relationships that the established managers have is not easy to replicate, and widely involving the new hire in the absence of such relationships can spur the established managers to perceive the new hire as an intruder. Instead, limiting the new hire's involvement to only the activities directly linked to his or her job may result in the new hire becoming respected as a professional stranger. Doing so avoids the discomfort of forced closeness and facilitates effective collaboration.

Keywords:

brokerage

hiring

multiplexity

organizational design

retention

scaling

social networks

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