Verified Document

Sna Theory Research Paper

SNA Theory: Its Value to Organizations Social Network Analysis Theory attempts to understand the "importance of relationships among interacting units. The social network perspective encompasses theories, models, and applications that are expressed in terms of relational concepts or processes" (Gretzel 2001). It suggests that the whole is greater than the sum of individual parts, but unlike other organizational theories, it places a great deal of emphasis on the ways in which interpersonal units function together. The key concept behind SNA theory is that of the 'network.' "Actors and their actions are viewed as interdependent rather than independent, autonomous units," and relational ties are fundamentally responsible for the transfer of resources (Gretzel 2001). Dyads, triads and the connections between these units are more important than individual analysis of what motivates people.

Relationships define networks: without a relationship, the individual's role within the organization cannot be fully understood. This suggests that instead of focusing on 'problem employees,' the...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

But SNA is not merely a vague, indefinite 'fuzzy' way of understanding organizations, despite its focus on relationships. It involves "mapping and measuring of relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, computers or other information/knowledge processing entities" using mathematical as well as observational data (Gretzel 2001).
Much of SNA involves 'mapping' the network because "to understand networks and their participants" we evaluate the location of actors in the network (Krebs 2012). "Connectors, mavens, leaders, bridges, isolates" are all roles that individuals can play in a network. The designated role names of SNA specifically refer to how the actor relates to other people. It also notes how actors 'cluster' amongst themselves to form networks, "who is in the core of the network, and who is on the periphery" (Krebs 2012). For example, is the IT department on the periphery…

Sources used in this document:
References

Gretzel, Ulrike (2001). Social Network Analysis. Retrieved:

http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/tse-portal/analysis/social-network-analysis/

Krebs, Valdis. (2012). Social network analysis: A brief introduction. Retrieved:

http://www.orgnet.com/sna.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Management Theory Organizational Learning in
Words: 1023 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

D.). Values are the personification of what an organization stands for, and should be the foundation for the behavior of its members. A disconnect between individual and organizational values often leads to dysfunction. "Additionally, an organization may publish one set of values, perhaps in an effort to push forward a positive image, while the values that really guide organizational behavior are very different. When there is a disconnect between stated and

Organizational Reframing Plan
Words: 3558 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

Organizational Reframing Program Four Frames of Organizational Reframing Structural:- Human Resource: - Political:- Symbolic:- Structural Contingency Theory Structural Contingency Theory in Human Resource Management:- Social Network Analysis Impact of reframing plan and ethical issue's Impact on the department being reframed:- Impact of reframing on other departments:- Ethical Aspects:- The study shows an organizational plan of a department. The aim of the study is to emphasize on how the theory of organizational life is applicable with the help of utilization of the action research

Social Networking Based on the
Words: 1078 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

The crux of this paper emerges a maturity model that defines how social networks eventually attain trusted status among their members, with the structure of the networks themselves being integral to the growth of explicit or tacit knowledge. A fascinating finding is that when social networks are in a star topology there is a pronounced lower level of transactive information sharing. Contrasting this limiting effect on information sharing based

Comparison of Copiers, Scanners, and Printers for Law Offices
Words: 2459 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Further, although whenever one device tries to accomplish more than one "thing," one of those "things" typically suffers; however, innovations in recent years have made these all-in-one approaches competitive with stand-alone units and occupy a concomitantly smaller footprint in a crowded law office but these devices will still likely underperform their separate unit counterparts. As one authority emphasizes, "All-in-one devices are typically smaller desktop units that have relatively low

Somali Civil War on the
Words: 2138 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

In 1991 a short-lived coalition of opposition groups seized the capital Mogadishu and ousted Said Barre. By 1992 it is estimated that over half a million people had died through war or from starvation. Between 800,000-1.5m people fled the country to refugee camps in Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen and Djibouti. From there many moved to Nairobi or Addis Ababa before embarking on a journey to the 'West'. In May 1991, the

Crime Prevention Proposal
Words: 2443 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

How Community Policing Promotes Social Justice Introduction As Howell (2010) points out, youths “join gangs for protection, enjoyment, respect, money, or because a friend is in a gang” (p. 1). In the city of Cincinnati, gang activity among young people is on the rise, and City Council has expressed concerns over how to address this issue. The city of Mesa, Arizona, recently completed the Mesa Gang Intervention Program (MGIP), which focused on

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now