Network sociology examines the patterns and dynamics of social relationships within and between organizations, emphasizing the importance of social embeddedness in organizational behavior.
Social network theory: Study of the pattern of relationships among social actors, often represented as graphs or mathematical models.
Actor-network theory: Approach to sociology that considers both human and non-human actors as networked entities, and how they interact and shape each other.
Network analysis: Collection of techniques for analyzing social networks, including measures of centrality, cliques, and structural holes.
Social capital: The resources and benefits that are gained through connections and relationships between individuals and groups.
Formal organization theory: The study of how organizations are structured, operate, and change over time.
Social movements: Collectives of individuals and organizations working together to promote political, social, or cultural change.
Online communities: Study of social networks that are formed through communication technologies such as the internet and social media.
Community networks: Relationships and organizations within a specific geographic area, such as neighborhoods or towns.
Power and influence: How networks influence and are influenced by power dynamics within and beyond organizations.
Communication networks: How information and knowledge are transmitted through social networks.
Occupational and industrial networks: The study of how individuals and organizations interact within their professions and industries.
Transnational networks: The study of social connections across borders, including migration, trade, and cultural exchange.
Inter-organizational networks: Networks created by the relationships and interactions between organizations.
Social creativity and innovation: The study of how social networks foster creativity and innovation across multiple domains.
Social entrepreneurship: The study of how networks enable individuals and organizations to create social and economic value.
Social Network Analysis: This type of study focuses on the analysis of social networks, which includes individuals, groups and organizations, and examines the relationships and interactions between them.
Actor-Network Theory: This theory maintains that both human and non-human actors contribute to a network, and each of them has their own agency, or the ability to act and influence the network.
Resource Dependence Theory: This theory suggests that the effectiveness and survival of an organization depend on its access to resources, how much it controls or influences them, and how much it depends upon them.
Institutional Theory: This theory analyses the institutional structures, norms, practices, and regulations that shape and regulate organizations, including the social and political contexts in which they operate.
Organizational Ecology: This subfield explores the ways in which environmental factors affect organizational structures and the selection of organizational forms that survive and thrive.
Economic Sociology: It is a sub-discipline of sociology concerned with economic behavior and institutions, including markets, firms, banks, and labor markets.
Communication Networks: This subfield focuses on studying the communication patterns and behaviors within organizations and how these patterns affect the dissemination of information, power, and decision-making.
Power and Influence Networks: This branch of organizational sociology focuses on the study of how power and influence networks are created, maintained, and used within organizations and how they shape organizational outcomes.
Global Network Analysis: This type of research investigates the global structures of organizations, including multinational corporations and intergovernmental organizations, and how they interact with each other and with national systems.