Social Network Perspectives in HRM

Networks represent a very important phenomenon in the business world, as well as in management and organizational research (Kilduff & Tsai, 2005, p. 13). As Parkhe et al. (2006, p. 560) observed: “Of the phenomena that have gripped the business world in recent years, few match the impact of social networks… The ubiquity of networks and networking, at the industry, firm, group, and individual levels has attracted significant research attention”. Since 1970s academic research studying social networks or adopting social network perspectives has grown exponentially (Borgatti & Foster, 2003). The theories, concepts, models, and methodology that focus on relations between actors at multiple levels of analysis (Contractor, Wasserman, & Faust, 2006; Galaskiewicz, 2007; Kilduff & Tsai, 2005) have not only caused the rise of social networks as a field of research but also gained momentum in several disciplines in management and organization research.

Interest in social network perspectives has also been rising among HRM researchers, partly as a result of a desire to understand multilevel issues, underlying micro foundations and complexity. There have been some conceptual, empirical and practitioner-oriented applications of a social network theories and methods by HRM scholars (e.g. Collins & Clark, 2003; Evans & Davis, 2005; Gant, Ichniowski, & Shaw, 2002; Kaše, Paauwe, & Zupan, 2009; Kinnie, Swart, & Purcell, 2005; Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall, 2003; Morris, Snell, & Lepak, 2005; Uhl-Bien, Graen, & Scandura, 2000). However there is still great potential for further work in this area, in order to illuminate systemic effects of HRM on social networks and vice versa.

With this workshop the organizers aim to bring together researchers interested in applying social network perspectives and methodology to advance theory and provide insightful empirical evidence on issues relevant to HRM in organizations.

We especially welcome papers that address the following issues (not limited):

Deadlines:

November 15, 2009: deadline for submission of extended abstract

December 1, 2009: feedback to the authors

March 1, 2010: deadline for submission of full papers

The authors are invited to submit an extended abstract of maximum 500 words to Dana Minbaeva (dm.smg@cbs.dk). In addition to the standard content of an abstract, the authors should clearly indicate how social network perspectives and/or methodology are applied in the papers. Full papers should be sent to Mia Petring ( mip.smg@cbs.dk).

All papers submitted to the workshop will be screened by the guest editors of the Special Issue of Human Resource Management on “Social Networks and HRM”. Participants will benefit from in-depth feedback and discussion of their potential contribution to the Special Issue with guest editors and other participants. However, participation in the workshop does not guarantee publication in the Special Issue

Registration:

There is no conference fee, but the participants will be asked to pay for own travel and accommodation. The registration deadline for the conference is March 1, 2010. For administrative reasons paper presenters are kindly asked to register for the conference as well. If you have any questions regarding registration for the conference, do not hesitate to contact Mia Petring at mip.smg@cbs.dk. Further information at www.cbs.dk/smg

References:

Borgatti, S. P., & Foster, P. C. (2003). The Network Paradigm in Organizational Research: A Review of Typology. Journal of Management, 29(6), 991-1013.

Collins, C. J., & Clark, K. D. (2003). Strategic human resource practices, top management team social networks, and firm performance: The role of human resource practices in creating organizational competitive advantage. Academy of Management Journal, 46(6), 740-751.

Contractor, N. S., Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (2006). Testing multitheoretical, multilevel hypotheses about organizational networks: An analytic framework and empirical example. Academy of Management Review, 31(3), 681-703.

Evans, R. W., & Davis, W. D. (2005). High-Performance Work Systems and Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Internal Social Structure. Journal of Management, 31(5), 758-775.

Galaskiewicz, J. (2007). Editorial: Has a Network Theory of Organizational Behaviour Lived Up to its Promises? Management and Organization Review, 3(1), 1-18.

Gant, J., Ichniowski, C., & Shaw, K. (2002). Social capital and organizational change in high-involvement and traditional work organizations. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 11(2), 289-328.

Kaše, R., Paauwe, J., & Zupan, N. (2009). HR practices, interpersonal relations, and intra-firm knowledge transfer in knowledge-intensive firms: A social network perspective. Human Resource Management, 48(4), 615-639.

Kilduff, M., & Tsai, W. (2005). Social Networks and Organizations. London: SAGE Publications.

Kinnie, N., Swart, J., & Purcell, J. (2005). Influences on the choice of the HR system: the network organization perspective. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(6), 1004-1028.

Lengnick-Hall, M. L., & Lengnick-Hall, C. A. (2003). HR's role in building relationship networks. The Academy of Management Executive, 17(4), 53-66.

Morris, S. S., Snell, S. A., & Lepak, D. P. (2005). An architectural approach to managing knowledge stocks and flows: Implications for reinventing the Human Resource Function In R. Burke & C. Cooper (Eds.), Reinventing Human Resource Management: Challenges and New Direction. London: Routledge Press.

Parkhe, A., Wasserman, S., & Ralston, D. A. (2006). New frontiers in network theory development. Academy of Management Review, 31(3), 560-568.

Uhl-Bien, M., Graen, G. B., & Scandura, T. A. (2000). Implications of leader-member exchange (LMX) for strategic human resource management systems: relationships as social capital for competitive advantage. In G. R. Ferris (Ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (Vol. 18, pp. 137-185).