Inclusion and ordering: The compounding effects of two distinct but related structural power conditions
Main Article Content
A focal activity of network exchange theories is to discover structural conditions of power in exchange and, when more than one is present, to find their joint effect. In the 30 years since its inception, however, research in exchange networks has focused mostly on power conditions that are “connection types” and hence, until recently, only conditions of connection and their joint effects have been experimentally investigated. Here the compounding effects of a connection type (inclusion) and its “variant” (ordering) are investigated. A network position is “inclusively connected” when it must exchange with two or more others for benefits to come from any one. By contrast, ordering occurs when a series of exchanges must be completed in a given sequence. Resistance theory asserts that ordering is a variant (has similar but distinct effects) of inclusion and, when found together, the joint effect of the two is greater than when either is found separately. Predictions of the combined effects of the two structural power conditions of exchange are offered and investigated. Results suggest stronger effects than anticipated.