Multiplex Multi-Core Pattern of Network Organizations: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Recent research on small-world theory has been expanded upon organizations behavior. However, most individual studies have taken a simplified view of individuals and relationships among members by focusing on a single type of links mainly within dyadic relationships. In reality, members of organizations are interacting with each other and often connected via many types of links within more complex relationships. To explore this complex interaction, this study models organization as network and proposes a multiplex approach that captures the complexity of relationships among members in organizations. This approach accounts for the multiple types of links among members and the multiple roles of members within network organizations. It is illustrated via a case study of a network organization. The case study demonstrates how this approach could capture the many types of relationship among members as well as the various roles that members play within the network organization. Such an approach can yield new insights on how to better manage network organizations.