Taking a Relational Stance: How Social Network Analysis Can Advance SHRM

Abstract

Human resource management (HRM) focuses traditionally on the human capital of employees and managers, including their knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personal characteristics, and how these are linked to organizational outcomes. Social network analysis (SNA) has begun to be adopted in the field of HRM as a useful means of revealing relational patterns and dynamics among employees, managers, and organizations which otherwise remain hidden but nevertheless have an impact on individual and organizational strategic HRM (SHRM) outcomes. Also, the roles played by other aspects of individual or dyadic relationships are only starting to emerge. Our article draws on a systematic review of the SNA literature. Our analysis of 113 articles takes stock of the insights for SHRM provided by a relational approach for the interplay between networks and 1) organizational performance, 2) knowledge sharing, innovation, and creativity, 3) diversity, equality, and inclusion in organizations, and 4) HR practices. We propose a research agenda at the interface of SHRM and network studies and develop suggestions about how these insights could inform future research agendas through 1) a focus on network dynamics, 2) the integration of different levels of analysis, and 3) the incorporation of a cognitive perception of networks in studies of SHRM.