Management social ties and network structure
Description
The field of social networks focuses on the relationships among social actors and on patterns that emerge from the structure of the network and their implications (Wasserman and Faust’s Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications). Social network research argues that actors (e.g., individuals or firms) are embedded within networks of relationships, and that their behaviour and choices cannot be studied independently of these social structures. The social network perspective views relationships among actors as ties, and recurring patterns of these ties as network structure. Ties are relational linkages that enable the flow of resources between actors, both tangible and intangible. Multiple actors form a web of such ties, which may be economic, social or political in nature. Networks can be classified based on the type of relational ties; for instance, collaboration ties form collaboration networks, while co-author relationships form co-authorship networks. Networks may also exist at different levels of analysis, such as intra-organisational friendship networks at the individual level or inter-country trade networks at the national level. Additionally, ties may vary in strength (e.g., frequent versus infrequent interactions) and may be positive or negative (e.g., collaboration versus competition). This article summarises recent research on social ties and network structure by focusing on six key areas: (1) networks and strategic or governance behaviour; (2) workplace networks; (3) collaboration and knowledge networks; (4) networks, personality and individual differences; (5) entrepreneurial and family business networks; and (6) networks and social media. To ensure a comprehensive review, the article used search keywords such as “networks,” “network structure,” “social networks,” and “social ties,” and focused on publications in leading management and sociology journals—including Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Management Science, American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice—over the period 2014–2019.
Copyright Date
January 2019
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Keywords
Behavioural science, Behavioural study, Social networks, Social ties
Source Link URL
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199846740/obo-9780199846740-0186.xml
