The impact of intragroup social network topology on group performance: understanding intra-organizational knowledge transfer through a social capital framework

This thesis examines the effects of intragroup social network relations on group performance. Building on prior studies, it views social network topology along structural, relational and cognitive dimensions. Where previous research used a self-reporting questionnaire to gauge these dimensions, this research uses Social Network Analysis (SNA) software to measure e-mail communication logs between group members. The study was conducted in a national travel agency and focused on the social networks of 187 offices, each a subsidiary of the national travel agency. Each office group was tasked similarly and represented a unit of analysis. An analysis of more than 7 million emails was undertaken to generate social network measures for the firm wide network. Subgraphs representing the intraoffice social networks were then generated for each of the 187 travel offices in the greater firm-wide network. NodeXL® software was used to generate group measures representing the dimensions of each office’s social network topology. As in prior studies, Centrality, Structural Holes, and Tie Strength (all social network concepts) were used to measure and compare the dimensions of the intragroup social networks. This study contributes by helping to differentiate the concepts of social capital and social network. This research finds the use of email logs to generate SNA more efficient but as effective as prior survey techniques. The study also extends prior work by dynamically examining the tie formation amongst recently hired employees. The study confirms existing views of a curvilinear relationship between social network relations and firm performance. This study finds social network topology a valuable predictor of group performance

Harnessing Knowledge, Innovation and Competence in Engineering of Mission Critical Systems

This book explores the critical role of acquisition, application, enhancement, and management of knowledge and human competence in the context of the largely digital and data/information dominated modern world. Whilst humanity owes much of its achievements to the distinct capability to learn from observation, analyse data, gain insights, and perceive beyond original realities, the systematic treatment of knowledge as a core capability and driver of success has largely remained the forte of pedagogy. In an increasingly intertwined global community faced with existential challenges and risks, the significance of knowledge creation, innovation, and systematic understanding and treatment of human competence is likely to be humanity's greatest weapon against adversity. This book was conceived to inform the decision makers and practitioners about the best practice pertinent to many disciplines and sectors. The chapters fall into three broad categories to guide the readers to gain insight from generic fundamentals to discipline-specific case studies and of the latest practice in knowledge and competence management

Harnessing Knowledge, Innovation and Competence in Engineering of Mission Critical Systems

This book explores the critical role of acquisition, application, enhancement, and management of knowledge and human competence in the context of the largely digital and data/information dominated modern world. Whilst humanity owes much of its achievements to the distinct capability to learn from observation, analyse data, gain insights, and perceive beyond original realities, the systematic treatment of knowledge as a core capability and driver of success has largely remained the forte of pedagogy. In an increasingly intertwined global community faced with existential challenges and risks, the significance of knowledge creation, innovation, and systematic understanding and treatment of human competence is likely to be humanity's greatest weapon against adversity. This book was conceived to inform the decision makers and practitioners about the best practice pertinent to many disciplines and sectors. The chapters fall into three broad categories to guide the readers to gain insight from generic fundamentals to discipline-specific case studies and of the latest practice in knowledge and competence management

The Interdependence of Scientists in the Era of Team Science: An Exploratory Study Using Temporal Network Analysis

How is the rise in team science and the emergence of the research group as the fundamental unit of organization of science affecting scientists’ opportunities to collaborate? Are the majority of scientists becoming dependent on a select subset of their peers to organize the intergroup collaborations that are becoming the norm in science? This dissertation set out to explore the evolving nature of scientists’ interdependence in team-based research environments. The research was motivated by the desire to reconcile emerging views on the organization of scientific collaboration with the theoretical and methodological tendencies to think about and study scientists as autonomous actors who negotiate collaboration in a dyadic manner. Complex Adaptive Social Systems served as the framework for understanding the dynamics involved in the formation of collaborative relationships. Temporal network analysis at the mesoscopic level was used to study the collaboration dynamics of a specific research community, in this case the genomic research community emerging around GenBank, the international nucleotide sequence databank. The investigation into the dynamics of the mesoscopic layer of a scientific collaboration networked revealed the following—(1) there is a prominent half-life to collaborative relationships; (2) the half-life can be used to construct weighted decay networks for extracting the group structure influencing collaboration; (3) scientists across all levels of status are becoming increasingly interdependent, with the qualification that interdependence is highly asymmetrical, and (4) the group structure is increasingly influential on the collaborative interactions of scientists. The results from this study advance theoretical and empirical understanding of scientific collaboration in team-based research environments and methodological approaches to studying temporal networks at the mesoscopic level. The findings also have implications for policy researchers interested in the career cycles of scientists and the maintenance and building of scientific capacity in research areas of national interest

Diversity, Networks and Performance: An Empirical Analysis of Metropolitan Planning Organizations in the United States

Achieving network performance is a vital goal in response to the increase of inter-organizational networks public organizations involve. The primary aim of this research is to examine the factors that predict performance in public management networks by disentangling the idea that collaboration requires both diversity and unity. Drawing upon diversity theories, social capital theory and management literature as theoretical lenses, this dissertation serves to investigate the following questions: 1. What is the collaborative decision-making process in inter-organizational networks? 2. How does social capital mediate the relationship between network member diversity and performance? 3. How does network management strategy moderate the relationship between social capital and network performance? My dissertation answers these questions by examining Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in the United States, one of the regional transportation networks. MPOs are formal inter-organizational networks that go beyond informal and intra-organizational networks. The focus here is on collaborative decision-making activities by individuals (mostly top-level administrators) who represent organizations working across their boundaries. This dissertation provides an important evidence of the interactive effects between network management behaviors and structural properties of networks on performance; it also contributes to the existing knowledge of inter-organizational dynamics in transportation planning networks

Computational Conflict Research

This open access book brings together a set of original studies that use cutting-edge computational methods to investigate conflict at various geographic scales and degrees of intensity and violence. Methodologically, this book covers a variety of computational approaches from text mining and machine learning to agent-based modelling and social network analysis. Empirical cases range from migration policy framing in North America and street protests in Iran to violence against civilians in Congo and food riots world-wide. Supplementary materials in the book include a comprehensive list of the datasets on conflict and dissent, as well as resources to online repositories where the annotated code and data of individual chapters can be found and where (agent-based) models can be re-produced and altered. These materials are a valuable resource for those wishing to retrace and learn from the analyses described in this volume and adapt and apply them to their own research interests. By bringing together novel research through an international team of scholars from a range of disciplines, Computational Conflict Research pioneers and maps this emerging field. The book will appeal to students, scholars, and anyone interested in the prospects of using computational social sciences to advance our understanding of conflict dynamics

Behavioural mechanisms of social cohesion in groups of reintroduced takhi (Przewalski's horse, Equus ferus prezewalkskii) in Mongolia

Reintroduction of an endangered species or subspecies is only the first step towards ensuring survival and population increase. The first phase of takhi (Equus ferus przewalskii) reintroductions has been successful, but populations remain at risk from isolation, resource competition with humans and livestock, and hybridisation with modern domestic horses. Greater social cohesion in takhi family groups reduces the risk of individual and group isolation and of hybridisation, which in turn increases the integrity and vigour of reintroduced populations. The aim of this study was to investigate potential behavioural mechanisms of social cohesion in reintroduced takhi, exploring mechanisms of cohesion both within and between family groups. Interindividual spatial distribution served as a surrogate measure of cohesion, and potential mechanisms included interindividual interactions and differences in individual reproductive state, personality, and group membership. Social network analysis was used to identify classes of takhi significantly central to spatial and interaction networks. Two repeatable personality traits were detected (sociability and assertiveness), but reproductive state had a stronger influence on cohesion than did personality. Mares were the most active managers of intragroup spatial distribution. Stallions were the most active managers of intergroup cohesion. Stallions and colts were most active in intergroup affiliative networks. Overall, reproductive state most clearly dictated individual involvement in interactions influencing intra- and intergroup cohesion, while group membership and personality influenced intergroup spatial cohesion. This study is the first to incorporate personality assessment and fine-scale spatial data into an investigation of Type I equid social structure in naturally established, free-living takhi family groups. Future takhi management efforts should focus on monitoring interstallion relationships, colt social development, and filly dispersal as the primary sources of variation and changes in group and herd level cohesion in takhi populations. Results of this study can be applied to adaptive management of takhi populations, and groups and herds of other Type I equids, including feral and domestic horses

MUDSLINGING AND MANNERS: A MULTI-METHOD EXAMINATION OF CONFLICT IN FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Diversity and trust in the newsroom : examining the role of homophily on establishing trust using ERGM

This dissertation focuses on the trust relationship in the newsroom to examine journalists’ status-based homophily, which refers to an individual’s tendency that similarity in social statuses breeds informal connection at work. It analyzes South Korean newspapers as a case study because their newsroom composition has become diverse and intergroup relationships emerged as a key issue for newsroom management. Trust at work serve facilitates knowledge, information, and the skill set relevant to organizational survival. However, trust is not shared by everyone because status-based homophily governs the informal relationship. In particular, separated informal relationships between the majority with power and control and minority groups lead to the following research question of “which social characteristics of individuals that represent a symbol of social statuses at work generate homophily in journalists’ trust?” To answer this research question, the author incorporated network homophily and social identity theory as main theoretical frameworks and employed inferential network analysis with the Exponential Random Graph Model (ERGM) as a primary methodological approach. Considering the unique nature of local characteristics in South Korea, the author assesses five social statuses on South Korean journalists’ homophilous tendency in their trust network: (1) gender, (2) tenure, (3) academic prestige (4) recruitment, and (5) competence. In particular, a separate empirical analysis on two cases of the South Korean newspapers verifies whether status-based homophily is consistently found across the newspapers with different cultures and organizational composition. The inferential network analysis of ERGM identified tenure-based homophily for both newspapers, while recruitment-based homophily and competence-based homophily were only found in one of the newspapers. Gender-based homophily became statistically insignificant as additional status-based homophily terms were added, which shows its relative weakness in determining journalists’ homophilous tendency compared to other status-based homophily terms. Academic prestige-based homophily was not found to be significant for both newspapers. This dissertation will add more insight into the theoretical adaptation of the social network theory and its association with the journalism practice inside the newsroom. Primarily, newsroom managers will learn a practical implication of how to manage the growing diversity inside the newsroom to unlock the positive effect of diversity.Journalis