Transitivity in Work-Relevant and Sentiment-Based Sociograms

The logic of balance-theoretical approaches to sociometric structure is applied to the analysis of both sentiment-based and work-relevant sociograms in 24 natural work settings of the same type. While the sentiment-based structures show a higher degree of transitivity, consistent with the balance perspective, other findings suggest the need not only for further research in general, but also for studies to be carried out in diverse settings and in terms of a variety of sociometric criteria. In the present sample, (1) work-relevant structures are less likely to occur by chance than sentiment-based ones, (2) sentiment structures contain fewer intransitivities than work-relevant ones, and (3) when members of the same triads are considered simultaneously on both sentiment-based and work-relevant dimensions, intransitive sentiment relations tend to be “resolved” fully or partially in work-relevant associations. Implications for these findings, along with methodological limitations, are discussed.