An Intraorganizational Ecology of Individual Attainment

Extending niche theory in ecological perspectives, this article develops an intra-organizational conceptualization of the niche that is grounded in the activities of organizational members. Niches are constructed from mapping individuals to formal and informal activities. Because the many activities within organizations are difficult to observe, we propose a novel empirical strategy to characterize niches: we exploit the complete roster of memberships in electronic mailing lists. We characterize niches along four dimensions: competitive crowding, status, diversity, and typicality, and we develop theoretical propositions about the resources that accrue to occupants of niches that vary on these dimensions. Propositions are tested in two, disparate empirical settings: the R&D laboratory of a biopharmaceutical company and an information services firm. Results indicate that, across both settings, people in competitively crowded niches are less central in the communication network and achieve lower levels of attainment, whereas those in high status and diverse niches are more central in the communication network and achieve higher levels of attainment. We find suggestive evidence that employees who deviate from the identity blueprint for their job role also garner fewer rewards.