LAUSR

Although several researchers have emphasized that top managers’ social ties influence firms’ economic activities, the links between microlevel personality factors and organization-level outcomes remain unclear. We examined how the social ties of top managers affect firm performance through the mediating mechanism of resource acquisition. We surveyed 253 top managers from Chinese firms and found that the social ties of top managers facilitated resource acquisition, which was, in turn, beneficial for firm performance. These findings indicate that the social ties of top managers play an important role in firms’ activities, particularly resource acquisition and organizational performance. Study limitations are discussed and directions for future research are presented.