The embeddedness of organizational performance: multiple membership multiple classification models for the analysis of multilevel networks

Tranmer, M. , Pallotti, F. and Lomi, A. (2016) The embeddedness of organizational performance: multiple membership multiple classification models for the analysis of multilevel networks. Social Networks, 44, pp. 269-280. (doi: 10.1016/j.socnet.2015.06.005)

Abstract

We present a Multiple Membership Multiple Classification (MMMC) model for analysing variation in the performance of organizational sub-units embedded in a multilevel network. The model postulates that the performance of organizational sub-units varies across network levels defined in terms of: (i) direct relations between organizational sub-units; (ii) relations between organizations containing the sub-units, and (iii) cross-level relations between sub-units and organizations. We demonstrate the empirical mer- its of the model in an analysis of inter-hospital patient mobility within a regional community of health care organizations. In the empirical case study we develop, organizational sub-units are departments of emergency medicine (EDs) located within hospitals (organizations). Networks within and across levels are delineated in terms of patient transfer relations between EDs (lower-level, emergency transfers), hospitals (higher-level, elective transfers), and between EDs and hospitals (cross-level, non-emergency transfers). Our main analytical objective is to examine the association of these interdependent and par- tially nested levels of action with variation in waiting time among EDs – one of the most commonly adopted and accepted measures of ED performance. We find evidence that variation in ED waiting time is associated with various components of the multilevel network in which the EDs are embedded. Before allowing for various characteristics of EDs and the hospitals in which they are located, we find, for the null models, that most of the network variation is at the hospital level. After adding these characteris- tics to the model, we find that hospital capacity and ED uncertainty are significantly associated with ED waiting time. We also find that the overall variation in ED waiting time is reduced to less than a half of its estimated value from the null models, and that a greater share of the residual network variation for these models is at the ED level and cross level, rather than the hospital level. This suggests that the covari- ates explain some of the network variation, and shift the relative share of residual variation away from hospital networks. We discuss further extensions to the model for more general analyses of multilevel network dependencies in variables of interest for the lower level nodes of these social structures.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Leverhulme Trust, which funded the “Multilevel Network Modelling Group” from 2009 to 2013 as part of its International Networks scheme. We are also very grateful to the European Science Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation for their financial support.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Tranmer, Professor Mark
• Authors: Tranmer, M., Pallotti, F., and Lomi, A.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General); H Social Sciences > HA Statistics
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Journal Name: Social Networks
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0378-8733
• Published Online: 21 August 2015
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V.
• First Published: First published in Social Networks 44: 269-280
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy