دانلود رایگان مقاله فواید تحلیل شبکه اجتماعی در تحقیق مدیریت و عملیات

abstract

Although social network analysis (SNA) offers an increasingly insightful perspective on the relational and structural properties of organizational activity, discourse on how to manage and coordinate its application is relatively scarce. Aimed largely at an applied network analyst, this paper presents a greater understanding of how SNA has been previously discussed in management studies, what the main points are and where these issues can be addressed prior to and during the research process to ensure network data are efficiently managed, analyzed and interpreted. Engaging with several practical concerns associated with SNA – including network boundary speci- fication, data reliability, context of inquiry and network visualizations – a viable framework is developed that is accessible to managers, consultants or researchers in facilitating the structuring, collection, handling and analysis of network data. The discussion illustrates the relevance of this perspective for both a practitioner and a theoretical audience.

5. Discussion and conclusions

As management researchers, consultants and practitioners increasingly utilize networks to map inter- and intra-organizational network structures and business networks, in this study, we highlight the practical considerations of SNA for analysts who are unfamiliar with this methodology or who seek greater reference on the dimensions of structuring, collecting, handling and interpreting their network research. In so doing, this paper presents a greater understanding of how SNA has been previously used, what the main points are and where these issues can be addressed prior to and during the research process to ensure that network data is efficiently collected, managed and interpreted. This study offers two contributions to current literature. First, the focus on structuring, collecting, handling and interpreting SNA data within the perspective of organizational and management studies counters the current dichotomy between theoretical reviews of SNA and scientific, statistical applications of the technique. Engaging specifically with four practical concerns associated with SNA – network boundary specification, data reliability, context of inquiry and network visualization – this paper provides a synthesis of information that managers, consultants or researchers can reference prior to engaging with SNA. Moreover, it contributes to SNA theory by offering a contemporary and contextualized illustration of some key issues within the field. Second, the framework extracted from this review postulates four key questions to guide and direct researchers, managers and practitioners in first engaging with SNA within their research or commercial practice. Building upon significant methodological and theoretical reviews on collecting network data (Carpenter et al., 2012; Conway, 2014; Marsden, 2005; Wasserman & Faust, 1994), this paper offers management researchers and practitioners a more delineated discussion on some of the key practical dimensions for handling and analyzing network data.