5 research outputs found
Social networks research for sustainable smart education
Social networks research has grown exponentially over the past decade. Subsequent empirical and conceptual advances have been transposed in the field of education. As the debate on delivering better education for all gains momentum, the big question is how to integrate advances in social networks research, corresponding advances in information and communication technology (ICT) and effectively employ them in the domain of education. To address this question, this paper proposes a conceptual framework (maturity model) that integrates social network research, the debate on technology-enhanced learning (TEL) and the emerging concept of smart education
Cultural intelligence and network organizations in society: case of Tehran neighborhood councils
Network communications is one of the modern ideas in the field of organizational
behavior. On the other hand, the ability to communicate with employees and understand the
cultural differences between them in a multicultural environment is one of the key skills that
managers and employees need them in the nowadays organizations. These skills are
introduced as cultural intelligence in organizations that have ability to respond to many
challenges in multicultural environments. This article was aimed to analysis the relationship
between cultural intelligence and network communication. These questionnaires were
distributed between 134 members at the Tehran neighborhood councils. In order to analyzing
data and concluding results, SPSS, and then Pearson correlation test were used. The research
was done based on structural equation modeling (SEM). The result indicated that there was
significant positive relationship between cultural intelligence and network communication.
Also there was significant positive relationship between each dimension of cultural
intelligence and network communication. Findings show that cultural intelligence is a basic
factor in network communication and confirm the main hypothesis of this study which
represents the existence of a positive and meaningful relation between cultural intelligence
and network communication. Furthermore, the results show that considering this kind of
intelligence, especially in network organizations which has a high ethnic and cultural variety,
could be very useful for improve employees and managers communications
Expanding the Network Evaluation Toolkit: Combining Social Network Analysis & Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Collective action networks are complex systems of interrelated individuals or groups that come together for a common social change purpose (Ernstson, 2011). Researchers have used social network analysis (SNA) to examine the relationship structures and characteristics of collective action networks. However, determining whether collective action networking produces outcomes has been challenging because networks are complex, affected by context, and produce interdependent data. I addressed these challenges by pairing SNA with qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a configurational comparative method. Using QCA, researchers can tease out which conditions are necessary or sufficient to produce an outcome. I analyzed a collective action network of community-based resource management groups in Hawaii using SNA. Then, I analyzed the same network using an explanatory mixed methods case study. Finally, I used QCA to integrate the quantitative SNA data with qualitative case study data to determine what conditions were necessary and sufficient to achieve the network’s desired outcomes. Finally, I reviewed the results from using these different methods to explore how QCA can be a useful tool for evaluators to add to their network evaluation toolkit