1,721,047 research outputs found
A social network scorecard to monitor knowledge flows across communication media
No full textThis paper describes the application of a scorecard, based on social network analysis, to monitor the evolution of knowledge flows. Three case studies were conducted: one within an Italian research center, and two within US-based research and education centers. The interactions of members of these business communities were observed by monitoring multiple communication media over time. This is a departure from the common practice of using only email communications to describe social networks. The goal of this paper is to answer the following question: does e-mail alone represent an accurate approximation of the social network? The results suggest that a better approximation can be found by monitoring multiple media: e-mail, chat, telephone, social networking websites, and face-to-face interactions. In conclusion, e-mail and then face-to-face communications are chosen mainly for developing and maintaining new business relationships, while e-mail and chat are preferred by knowledge workers who know each other
Hybrid Metrics of Performance Measurement in Communities of Practice
No full textThis paper proposes a methodology to integrate methods of Social Network Analysis, Business Scorecards and Intellectual Capital. To test the methodology and verify the managerial implications, we applied hybrid indicators to monitor three communities of practice within an aerospace and defense industrial group. We integrated their performance monitor system – based on a Balanced Scorecard - with the network metrics based on the communication frequency among members.
First, we systematically reviewed strategic tools such as Skandia Navigator, Intangible Assets Monitor, IC-IndexTM, Balanced Scorecard; Intangible Value Framework. Second, we identified the dimensions of analysis that are common to each of these tools and we built a matrix composed of four dimensions: people, processes, innovation and financial. Third, we combined network indicators with metrics describing the four dimensions, creating a list of 46 hybrid indicators, 22 at actor’s level and 24 at community level.
A preliminary result is this validation of the hybrid indicators. For example, the index ABC/Pe might help identify employees with key connections to clients, as it combines values of Actor Betweenness Centrality and the number of new clients contacted by the employee.
This integration provides opportunities to complement Business Scorecard approaches to take into account the evolution of social capital and the community’s dynamics; it also helps SNA to better qualify members through the application of metrics describing organizational performance
Down-to-Earth Performance Enhancements: A case study from the Italian Aerospace Industry
No full textThis paper presents the results of a study in which we applied social network analysis to four technology communities within a large Italian group in the aerospace and defense industry. The goal of this study was to evaluate the communities’ degree of connectivity (internal, cross-community, and external connections) relative to their established performance measures.
Approximately 400 subjects reported the frequency of their communications with members of their own community, other communities and external stakeholders via e-mail, face-to-face meetings, telephone calls and e-meetings. Data were collected through web-based questionnaires for a period of five weeks. The average response rate was 82%. The analysis compared the growth of the four communities related to four performance dimensions: people, innovation, financial outcomes and processes.
The most frequent internal and external communications occurred via e-mail (results ranged from 57% to 75% across the four communities), then by face-to-face (from 25% to 50%), then by phone (from 18% to 38%) and least frequently by e-meetings (from 0.5% to 7%). Each community identified strong ties between members and key stakeholders (25% from academia, 30% from government institutions and 45% from industrial institutions).
The highest-performing community demonstrated well-balanced communication behaviors. They had a high frequency of external communication, reporting an average 14 phone calls/day, 11 e-mails/day and 10 e-meetings/month with external partners.
We found that optimal performance was associated with a high level of network density and no disconnected actors. Our findings also suggest how to optimize a collaborative network by not relying on one predominant communication channel
Interdepartmental Networks
No full textInterdepartmental networks can be defined as the system of actors working together within organizational departments and their planned or emergent relations.
The term is frequently found in literature associated with terms like matrix and project organization, and refer to a cross-functional organization bringing members together from separate organizational functional areas to take on tasks on a temporary basis (as in a project team) or on a relatively permanent basis (as in a matrix organization).
In an ever changing environment the need to coordinate activities of organizational members is significantly greater than in the past, and this makes growing and supporting formal and informal inter-departmental networks a key lesson for managing continuous change. In a context where matrix and project-based structure are commonly used, interdepartmental networks are described as a channel through which good ideas flows. Common advantages reported in literature of inter-departmental linkages include the creation of lateral communication channels not available in the bureaucratic organization form, solving this way an information processing problem. Cross-functional structures are described in management literature as a governance model able to build a flexible organization, to promote individual and team entrepreneurship, to allow quick decision making based on a multidisciplinary approach. Hierarchical organizations have the limitation of making communication between functional departments more difficult: when the information exchanged is complex, centralized communication can generate dysfunctional effects on the organization
Web 2.0 Project-Based Learning In Higher Education: some preliminary evidence
No full textThis paper develops the understanding of how Web 2.0 applications can be utilized to support a project-based learning approach. Creating communities in the classroom has been the traditional method of engaging students. The web 2.0 technologies are changing the way dispersed learning communities interact. To provide preliminary evidence on this, we have designed a Social Computing Environment to support a community of students coming from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan involved in an International Master’s Program. This study suggests that Web 2.0 tools enhance learning effectiveness in terms of Learners’ Satisfaction, Knowledge Creation and Learning Performance. Preliminary results suggest that learners prefer to utilize wiki more than blogs to collaborate with peers, tutors and mentors
Selective memories favor Influentials
No full textSocial scientists have long been interested in understanding what makes some respondents more accurate observers of their own social networking behavior than others in recalling and reporting social network’s structure (Bernard et al. 1984, Freeman et al, 1987, Casciaro, 1998).
This study contributes to social network research on interpersonal perception accuracy, by focusing on the relationship between actors’ centrality and their ability to report accurately their own social interactions. We used network measures like actors’ betweenness centrality and degree centrality to identify the most prominent members.
This research was conducted within a graduate school of management that both educates students and undertakes research projects. Through seven web surveys, we gathered data on the frequency of interaction among members connected through telephone, chat, and face-to-face conversations. We conducted focused interviews with three senior managers to classify all network members according to three factors: trustworthiness, prestige, and contribution.
We applied an “internal measure of accuracy” by measuring the correlation between ego-perception and alter-perception. We found that actors involved on the same interaction attributed different values to the same interaction (Riji ≠ Rjij), which is referred to as a “non-reciprocity” type of misalignment (Krackhardt, 1987).
We found a positive correlation between actors’ centrality and their centrality as assessed by senior management, and a negative correlation between actors’ centrality and their accuracy in recalling interactions. These asymmetries suggest that underreporting social interactions may represent a third way of measuring the importance of members and finding the most influential ones
Designing, Managing and Assessing a Web 2.0 Learning community to enhance Inquiry based Learning
No full textThis paper develops understanding of how to design, manage and
assess learning environments in which traditional and Web 2.0 technologies are
integrated to improve the overall learning experience. To provide preliminary
evidence, we designed an integrated model of a web based learning
community (WBLC), comprising the following components: learning actors
(learners, stakeholders, mentors, tutors, staff); learning processes (abstract
conceptualisation, active experimentation, reflective observation and concrete
experience); learning modes (inquiry based learning) and learning tools
(wiki, blog, folksonomies) together with a learning dashboard (social network
analysis, knowledge creation, learning satisfaction, IT adoption). The
application of the model to the community of an international Master’s
programme provided evidence of the potential benefits of the model.
Preliminary results suggest that Web 2.0 technologies in education have great
potential in supporting the acquisition of learner competencies and skills.
However, they also require significant effort from students and mentors in changing their attitude towards new ways of interacting
Monitoring inter-organizational communities in the aerospace industry through the application of Social Network Analysis
No full text- …
