Assortativity in intraorganizational networks—the level of homophily prevalent in the network—is an important but often overlooked occurrence with implications for organizational outcomes. An egonetwork composed by contacts with similar knowledge can ease knowledge integration and coordination but it can also create an echo chamber limiting flexibility and innovativeness. We argue that individuals engage in strategic decision-making when considering assortative or disassortative strategies for potential ties to achieve an optimal level of knowledge similarity in their egonetworks. Furthermore, we posit that a formal status-based mechanism plays a role in determining with whom individuals pursue either strategy. Leveraging a novel research design that allows us to identify wanted ties—ties that actors deem effective for their performance but that do not exist yet—, we study the drivers of these network ties in a population of professional staff in a large multinational corporation. This study contributes to our understanding of how individuals actively intend to shape their social networks and has implications for organizations seeking to promote effective network formation and knowledge exchange among employees.
