The Role of Social Relationships in Learning from Job Rotations

Abstract

Job rotations help enhance and broaden employees’ knowledge of the organization’s business and, hence, can be useful in succession planning. In this article, we delineate how rotating employees’ social relationships could play an antithetical role, that is, it may foster while, at the same time, may also hinder their learning. Specifically, we argue that developing good relationships with leaders is likely to facilitate rotating employees’ learning from job rotations. Conversely, spending time and effort in cultivating good relationships with team members is likely to undermine learning. Therefore, we recommend that organizations must take necessary actions in helping rotating employees develop and maintain relationships with their leaders than lateral relationships with team members.