O'Brien, J (2012) Exponential random graph models of social networks for engineering design firms. PhD thesis, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA.
Abstract
Effective teams are created with a mission in mind of members collaborating with each other through trust and communication. The Social Network Model of engineering and construction was developed using a dual-focused approach to enhancing professional trust and communications in creating highly effective organizations. This research investigated applications of social network analysis to engineering and design firms using graphics and statistical methods to analyze the organization and team effectiveness. After I conducted an on-line survey for firms that met certain criteria, I analyzed their networks and made recommendations on how to improve their communications with each other to help them improve on their effectiveness. I analyzed their data using statistical methods such as basic statistics and exponential random graph models that can explain formation of the observed networks. Social network analysis can be used to measure their effectiveness and is intended to visualize communication, reliance and trust in each other and assess knowledge exchange, with the assumption that improvements in these variables will help to achieve high performance.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Chinowsky, P |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | effectiveness; trust; communication; professional; network analysis; social network analysis |
| Index terms: | team effectiveness, survey, social network analysis, social network, statistics, effectiveness, statistical method, knowledge exchange, engineering design, graph model, design firm, network analysis |
| Subjects: | practitioner, knowledge management, research methods, design process, mathematical modelling, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics, performance management, management, sociology, statistical analysis |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here