Social Networks as a Conceptual and Empirical Tool to Understand and “Do” HRD

The problem and the solution. This introductory article presents the concepts of social networks and social capital and illustrates how they are deeply connected to contemporary HRD. Despite widespread research utilizing a network or social capital perspective in disciplines such as management, sociology, and organization theory, there are few articles in the HRD literature that focus on the role of networks in HRD (Cross & Parker, 2004; Gubbins & Garavan, 2005; Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall, 2003; Storberg, 2002). This first article, and the subsequent articles in the issue, contributes toward filling this gap. Specifically, in this first article we present an analysis and synthesis of a diverse array of conceptual and empirical social network and social capital research in order to answer two questions: (a) How can a network perspective explain or help us understand more about the process of achieving the outcomes of HRD? and (b) Given the network perspective, how should we practice HRD? The subsequent articles in this special issue engage with one or both of these research questions from a variety of perspectives relevant to contemporary HRD.

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