Sticky Ties and Silent Struggles: A Rare Ethnographic Look at Entrepreneurial Conflict

Sticky Ties Among Rivals for Entrepreneurial Leadership is an unusual study. It exposes organizational rivalries and conflicts that are normally hidden from outsiders. Its fieldwork access enabled this due to prior participant observation at the site, published as Team Entrepreneurship (Stewart, 1989).

As this publication date implies, publication required a wait of over 30 years — surely something of a record. Without this wait, findings could have harmed the employees. Acceptance for its publication was based on theory and method contributions. The paper is based on a very rare use of ethnographic data as the basis for social network analysis (SNA). Its use of SNA includes broad multiplexity and Simmelian ties. Sophisticated use of SNA revealed a surprising disjunction between the findings derived from ethnographic observations and those from network analysis. SNA explained how conflicting approaches to management, revealed ethnographically, can co-exist.

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About Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
The Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy is home to two internationally recognized schools: the School of Information Systems and Management and the School of Public Policy and Management. Heinz College leads at the intersection of people, policy, and technology, with expertise in analytics, artificial intelligence, arts & entertainment, cybersecurity, health care, and public policy. The college offers top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive education certificates in these areas. Our programs are ranked #1 in Information Systems, #1 in Information and Technology Management, #8 in Public Policy Analysis, and #1 in Cybersecurity by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit www.heinz.cmu.edu.