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Structural Hole (structural + hole)
Selected AbstractsConfucian Capitalism and the Paradox of Closure and Structural Holes in East Asian FirmsMANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2010Sun-Ki Chai abstract A long-standing debate has taken place in the organizational sociology and social network literatures about the relative advantages of network closure versus structural holes in the generation of social capital. There is recent evidence that these advantages differ across cultures and between East Asia and the West in particular, but existing network models are unable to explain why or address cultural variation in general. This paper seeks to provide a solution by integrating a culture-embedded rational model of action into the social network model of structure, using this not only to re-examine the closure versus structural hole debate, but also to tie it to the literature on Confucian capitalism and the ,East Asian Model' of the firm. We argue that this integrated approach allows us to systematically analyse the relationship between culture and behaviour in networks and, more specifically, to explain why closure has been a more powerful source of productivity in East Asia than the West. [source] Different ties for different needs: Recruitment practices of entrepreneurial firms at different developmental phasesHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2003Aegean Leung Entrepreneurial firms face significant challenges in attracting and acquiring needed human resources. That is, in addition to difficulties associated with resource constraints and organization legitimacy, the requirements for "person-organization fit" change substantially as these firms transit from start-up to growth phase. This study examines how entrepreneurial firms tap evolving social network ties in order to address "needs-and-fits" issues across different developmental stages of the firm. The findings go beyond what "strength of weak ties" and "structural hole" theories would suggest, and highlight the persistent use of strong and direct ties across developmental phases. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Lawyers of the Right: Networks and OrganizationLAW & SOCIAL INQUIRY, Issue 4 2007Anthony Paik Lawyers for conservative and libertarian causes are active in organizing and mobilizing interest groups within the conservative coalition, and networks of relationships among those lawyers help to maintain and shape the coalition. Using data gathered in interviews with seventy-two such lawyers, this article analyzes characteristics of the lawyers and the structure of their networks. The findings suggest that the networks are divided into segments or blocks that are identified with particular constituencies, but that a distinct set of actors with extensive relationships serves to bridge the constituencies. Measures of centrality and brokerage confirm the structural importance of these actors in the network, and a search of references in news media confirms their prominence or prestige. This "core" set of actors occupies the "structural hole" in the network that separates the business constituency from religious conservatives. Libertarians, located near the core of the network, also occupy an intermediate position. Regression analysis of ties within the network suggests that the Federalist Society plays an important role in bringing the lawyers together. [source] The Emergence, Maintenance, and Dissolution of Structural Hole Brokerage Within ConsortiaCOMMUNICATION THEORY, Issue 3 2004J. David Johnson This essay focuses on the emergence, maintenance, and dissolution of structural hole brokerage within consortia. The difficulties in forming consortia are well known. Many are associated with the natural structural hole that exists between the parties. Approaches to this problem have been hampered historically by theoretic traditions that have focused on either classic system benefits or more contemporary market consideration of individual interests. Here the author develops propositions concerning the emergence, maintenance, and dissolution of these relationships, focusing on four central factors drawn from different theoretic traditions: homophily, trust, the balance between threats and shared interests, and the balance between differentiation and integration. The author then discusses the implications of this integrated theoretical framework for researcher-practitioner relationships as an exemplar and for trends in network analysis research. [source] Global networks and the reorganization of production in the clothing industry of post-socialist UkraineGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 3 2008CHRISTOS KALANTARIDIS Abstract In this article we examine how processes of globalization and the nature of emerging inter-firm relationships influence the organization of production in a post-socialist region, using the case of the clothing industry in Transcarpathia, Western Ukraine. We combine insights from two perspectives, the global commodity chain approach and the new regionalism. The focus on both institutional setting and interfirm relationships is essential in regions undergoing rapid change. In the article we also use Burt's concept of structural holes and the idea of a competence-difficulty gap to examine the nature of relationships within networks of firms, arguing that global integration can be viewed as a bridging process. The evidence comes from surveys and fieldwork conducted between 1997 and 2004, providing a longitudinal analysis of the same firms. Among other findings, we show that the difficulty of doing business locally may make relationships more stable. With respect to industrial structure, international subcontracting and joint-venture arrangements enable technological modernization in assembly and parts of preassembly, but also result in the demise of high-value added competences. [source] ON SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS IN A SUPPLY CHAIN CONTEXT,JOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2009STEPHEN P. BORGATTI The network perspective is rapidly becoming a lingua franca across virtually all of the sciences from anthropology to physics. In this paper, we provide supply chain researchers with an overview of social network analysis, covering both specific concepts (such as structural holes or betweenness centrality) and the generic explanatory mechanisms that network theorists often invoke to relate network variables to outcomes of interest. One reason for discussing mechanisms is to facilitate appropriate translation and context-specific modification of concepts rather than blind copying. We have also taken care to apply network concepts to both "hard" types of ties (e.g., materials and money flows) and "soft" types of ties (e.g., friendships and sharing-of-information), as both are crucial (and mutually embedded) in the supply chain context. Another aim of the review is to point to areas in other fields that we think are particularly suitable for supply chain management (SCM) to draw network concepts from, such as sociology, ecology, input,output research and even the study of romantic networks. We believe the portability of many network concepts provides a potential for unifying many fields, and a consequence of this for SCM may be to decrease the distance between SCM and other branches of management science. [source] Confucian Capitalism and the Paradox of Closure and Structural Holes in East Asian FirmsMANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2010Sun-Ki Chai abstract A long-standing debate has taken place in the organizational sociology and social network literatures about the relative advantages of network closure versus structural holes in the generation of social capital. There is recent evidence that these advantages differ across cultures and between East Asia and the West in particular, but existing network models are unable to explain why or address cultural variation in general. This paper seeks to provide a solution by integrating a culture-embedded rational model of action into the social network model of structure, using this not only to re-examine the closure versus structural hole debate, but also to tie it to the literature on Confucian capitalism and the ,East Asian Model' of the firm. We argue that this integrated approach allows us to systematically analyse the relationship between culture and behaviour in networks and, more specifically, to explain why closure has been a more powerful source of productivity in East Asia than the West. [source] | |||||||||||||