Este artigo trata do impacto das redes informais na melhoria no desempenho de vendedores. Redes informais criam uma estrutura que supera a hierarquia formal de uma organização. O foco deste artigo está na rede de aconselhamento e em duas estruturas de rede que têm impacto no desempenho. A pesquisa observou vendedores que desenvolvem uma estrutura coesa, de acordo com a visão de James Coleman, ou uma estrutura que contém buracos estruturais, segundo Ronaldo Burt. Foi incluído também no modelo de análise a questão da força dos laços, de acordo com o trabalho seminal de Mark Granovetter de 1973. Dados censitários de uma organização foram coletados de cerca de 500 funcionários de uma empresa fornecedora de material para a produção agropecuária que conta com 23 filiais. A estimação de uma amostra de 101 vendedores desta empresa mostrou a importância de estruturas coesas, mediante a métrica de centralidade de grau, para as três medidas de desempenho dos vendedores. Laços fortes têm também impacto positivo no desempenho, o que sugere a importância da construção destes laços com membros da rede. Idade, tempo de casa e nível educacional também são suscetíveis de causar impacto no desempenho. Estes resultados implicam que a empresa deve estimular contatos entre colaboradores, para permitir a melhor difusão de informações técnicas e comerciais.

This paper argues that an informal network can itself be a basis for the increase in a sales manager's performance. Informal networks create a structure that surpasses the formal hierarchical structure defined by the firm. We concentrated on the advice network and considered two different views of network structure that claim to have impact on performance. To explore this claim, we examined whether sales managers develop either a highly cohesive network structure (i.e. Coleman's view) or one containing structural holes (i.e. Burt's view) in order to achieve higher sales. We also investigated the matter of tie strength put forward by Granovetter in his seminal 1973 work. Census data was collected from about 500 personnel from an agricultural input retailer having 23 divisions. Estimates from a sample of 101 sales managers showed the importance of a highly cohesive structure (degree centrality) for the three measures of sales manager's performance. The strong ties have a positive impact on performance, suggesting the importance of building up strong bonds with network contacts. Sales managers' age, time within the retailer and education also influence performance. These results imply that firms should stimulate contacts among personnel to spread technical and commercial information.

The aim of this study is to research a sales manager's social network and demonstrate that sales managers who are central in closure structures of an advice network achieve high sales performance. Considering the results obtained and the discussion provided in the hypotheses presentation, we argue that sales managers must have accurate perceptions of their network. Two different networks were analyzed: friendship and advice; and we also considered two different views of network structure that claim to make an impact on performance and, to explore this claim, we examined whether sales managers, in order to improve sales performance, develop either a highly cohesive network or one containing structural holes. Census data was collected from over 500 personnel of an agricultural input retailer with 23 divisions. Estimates from a sample of 101 sales managers demonstrated, in the advice network, how important a highly cohesive structure is to a sales manager's performance. These results suggest that firms should encourage contacts among their personnel to disseminate and share technical and commercial information. By stimulating cohesive structures of contacts for the purpose of receiving advice, firms create an environment for sales managers to develop relationships of trust in which social norms prevail.