Networks And Organizations

Networks & Organizations debunks the myth that we are in the midst of an unprecedented era of change & refocuses attention on the timeless problem of management--mobilizing individual & collective action. The authors take a fresh look at what actually happens in organizations & reveal how rhetoric & the search for identity--not structure, systems, & strategies that characterize the design perspective of organizations--are the real motivators of action in organizations. They then offer an alternative view in which robust action (not equilibrium), fit, & alignment should serve as a positive guide for managerial action.

`The authors should be congratulated for not only offering an excellent tour de force of cutting-edge work in social network analysis, but also charting some new possible territories for future organizational research′ - Environment and Planning Social Networks and Organizations provides a compact introduction to major concepts in the area of organizational social networks. The book covers the rudiments of methods, explores major debates, and directs attention to theoretical directions, including a vigorous critique of some taken-for-granted assumptions. The book is aimed at all of those who seek a lucid and lively treatment of social network approaches to organizational research, with a particular emphasis on the neglected area of interpersonal networks in organizations. In this book, Martin Kilduff and Wenpin Tsai offer new insights to those already familiar with network analysis, and motivate those interested in pursuing network research to embark on journeys of discovery. `This book is extremely timely. It provides a wonderful synthesis of the recently burgeoning literature in the area of organizations and social networks. It should be relevant at once for both the experienced network scholar as well as those entering this growing area′ - Ranjay Gulati, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University `Martin Kilduff and Wenpin Tsai have done a marvellous job of not only reviewing and integrating the diverse streams of literatures on social networks, but also of showing the enormous potential of this research approach that still lies untapped. Overall, this book will prove to be an invaluable resource for interested graduate students as well as for established scholars in the field′ - Sumantra Ghoshal, Professor of Strategic and International Management, London Business School `Research on social networks is already one of the most vibrant areas of organizational inquiry. How can it possibly become any more so? This book by Kilduff and Tsai opens up many new avenues for network research and theory-building. Whether you′re newly-interested in social networks or a veteran of the topic, you will benefit from Kilduff and Tsai′s marvellous contribution′ - Donald C Hambrick, Smeal College of Business Administration, The Pennsylvania State University

This book brings a social networks perspective to bear on topics of leadership, decision-making, turnover, organizational crises, organizational culture, and other major organizational behavior topics. It offers a new direction for organizational behavior theory and research by drawing from social network ideas. Across diverse research topics, the authors pursue an integrated focus on social ties both as they are represented in the cognitions of individuals and as they operate as constraints and opportunities in organizational settings. The authors bring their 20 years worth of research experience together to provide a programmatic social network approach to understanding the internal functioning of organizations. By focusing a distinctive research lens on interpersonal networks, they attempt to discover the keys to the whole realm of organizational behavior through the social network approach.

Networks and networking are essential concepts that transform organizational, economic, and social practices. Human capital is both a source of competitive advantage and a value that allows individual employees to develop their careers and find satisfaction in their employment. The book addresses the vital issue of changes occurring in management and employment, with the growing career individualization, focus on future professional challenges, importance of knowledge workers, and possibilities of functioning in social and organizational networks. Workers’ networking competence is the main theme of this book. Much attention is put on differentiating it from other types of competence and other network objects, and identifying its behavioral manifestations, as the frequency of such behaviors can be used as a measure of an individual’s networking competence level. Employment-related variables and characteristics that affect networking competence are analyzed in depth, as is the impact of networking competence on career success and employability — thus laying a foundation for transformation in network organization management, employee relations, and individual career development. It will be of interest to researchers and students alike, as it clearly demonstrates a way to solve research problems in management science and provides new instruments for further research on networks and networking; and to organization managers and employees, as it offers insights into management and employment-related trends as well as guidelines for managing network organizations and building one’s career within social and organizational networks.

Although social, political, technological and business networks hold our modern world together, we still lack a good understanding of what business networks are, how they work, and the language of network analysis that we may apply to solve common, everyday problems. This book looks at such questions as: How do we make sense of the business networks we participate in and the networks we observe from a distance? Are business networks distinct from social networks, and if so what distinguishes them? How can business network analysis from a multidisciplinary perspective enhance strategic management? Emanuela Todeva deftly explores the patterns of networking and the dynamics of network relationships, to show how we can begin to tap their full potential. Of great interest to students and scholars of business network analysis, this revealing volume will also prove informative for managers wishing to obtain insights into network dynamics and its implications for strategic decision making. Business Networks expertly provides an interdisciplinary overview. It skilfully engages the reader with a range of economic, sociological, strategic management and communication theories that contribute to our knowledge of networks and networking. Transcending specific disciplines, and synthesizing the contributions that shape the structural, relational and cultural approaches to network analysis, Todeva’s outstanding text offers a wealth of conceptual frameworks and an exhaustive typology of existing business networks.

Organizations are complex social systems that are not easy to understand, yet they must be managed if a company is to succeed. This book explains networks and how managers and organizations can navigate them to produce successful strategic innovation outcomes. Although managers are increasingly aware of the importance of social relations for the inner-workings of the organization, they often lack insights and tools to analyze, influence or even create these networks. This book draws on insights from social network theory; insights sharpened by research in a number of different empirical settings including production, engineering, financial services, consulting, food processing, and R&D/hi-tech organizations and alternates between offering critical real business examples and more rigorous analysis. This concise book is vital reading for students of business and management as well as managers and executives.

"We are in the midst of rapid change in how firms organize themselves and their work. There are numerous popular accounts of this evolution but few theoretically grounded and research based assessments. Into this gap steps David Knoke. Changing Organizations is an invaluable resource for all concerned with organizational restructuring and will be an essential reference and starting point for scholars and practitioners who want a serious account of what has occurred and what is likely to happen next." Peter Osterman Massachusetts Institute of Technology "In this book, Changing Organizations, David Knoke shows how a social network approach can unify topics as diverse as corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, national innovation systems, workplace struggles, and corporate informed explanation of why corporations have become so powerful in American society. For graduate students in organization studies courses and MBAs, the book's many extended case examples will provide a valuable context for classroom discussions. The book is packed with informative figures and charts, as well as a helpful appendix on network analysis, and thus will prove valuable as a reference book, as well." Howard E. Aldrich University of North Carolina In Changing Organizations David Knoke examines the formation of intra- and inter-organizational networks and their impact on the fates of employees, companies, and communities. He explores how the network perspective—when used in conjunction with ecology, insitutionalism, power and resource dependence, transaction cost economics, organizational learning, and evolutionary theories—contributes to a more comprehensive explanation of organizational transformations. Written in an accessible narrative style for advanced undergraduate students in sociology, public policy, and business management courses, it draws heavily from contemporary cases to illustrate key concepts. Knoke also offers readers a careful exposition of basic structural and network concepts and principles. This text is well suited for courses in sociology of organizations, business organizations/management, and public policy/administration.

This broad, balanced introduction to organizational studies enables the reader to compare and contrast different approaches to the study of organizations. This book is a valuable tool for the reader, as we are all intertwined with organizations in one form or another. Numerous other disciplines besides sociology are addressed in this book, including economics, political science, strategy and management theory. Topic areas discussed in this book are the importance of organizations; defining organizations; organizations as rational, natural, and open systems; environments, strategies, and structures of organizations; and organizations and society. For those employed in fields where knowledge of organizational theory is necessary, including sociology, anthropology, cognitive psychology, industrial engineering, managers in corporations and international business, and business strategists.