Abstract:
Managers play an important role in strategic decision making. One important objective of strategic leadership is
that of linking the organization to its environment. In this paper we ask the question: To what degree are managers' external
network contingent on organizational design, i.e. the internal characteristics of the organization? With the assumption that
managers' networks are purposively created within the limits and the needs of the organization, we discuss what determines
the range of network of managers. We find that size and vertical differentiation are the most important of the tested
organizational characteristics, while horizontal differentiation had somewhat less influence. We did not find support for the
hypothesis that administrative capacity contributes positively to manager networks. Our results indicate that to view
organizational characteristics as conducive to managers network range is a fruitful approach.
