Social Network Analysis in Organizations as a Management Support Tool

Abstract

The chapter will cover the intraorganizational network as a diagnostic to design interventions in the relationship, involving formal roles and exercised roles in the network of relationships, legitimate managers, reliable network, identification of actors who exert greater influence (power) on flow information, and paper central actors in organizational change processes (identification of key players as the core of influence to change). The chapter will also discuss the interdepartmental relations considering the flow of information between members, the flow of ideal versus actual work processes, and reference and counter-reference between departments. The formation of cohesive subgroups and the degree to which it generates confidence or cloistered in organizations whose parameters are relevant for comparison and diagnosis of intergroup relations. Regarding to interorganizational networks, the chapter discusses the degree of connection, the ability to respond to environmental changes, the partnerships in different sectors and the organization’s performance, and the nature of the organization and/or nature of the activity and its impact of interorganizational relations in performance. This chapter also discusses peers’ influence on management decisions within the corporate investment policies.