Informal social networks and shared meanings or organizational change

Abstract

The present study intends to explore the shared meanings of organizational change inside informal and internal organizational social networks. This study was conducted in a sector of a large scale petrochemical organization in Polo Petroquímico de Camaçari in the Brazilian state of Bahia undergoing a privatization process. Questionnaires were applied on a sample of 52 workers to obtain the relationships of friendship, trust and information making up the informal relationship network. Open questions allowed obtaining knowledge about the change taking place in the organization. The networks were identifi ed through Ucinet and Net Draw software’s, and characterized as macro and micro structuraldimensions. The data about perceptions were analyzed with a qualitative methodology and descriptive categories were created. The results show a mostly positive vision of the change and low levels of density and cohesion of the informal networks. In the only clique identifi ed, more shared meanings attributed to changes were observed. This study provides a useful methodological strategy that can be very resourceful to newresearchers adopting a cognitivist perspective.