Meaning in Organizational Networks – from Social to Digital and Back

Abstract

In this essay, we argue that understanding of meaning in relation to organizational networks warrants a more prominent place in organizational theorizing, because it fulfils a distinct role in the emergence and evolution of networks. Whereas prior studies have tended to address network structures or narrative structures, we suggest that organizational processes might be better understood when addressing the role of meaning and network structures simultaneously. We explain the implications of our argument in an online context, given the growing significance of digitally enabled networks on organizational sociality, and draw on examples in the context of organizational knowledge sharing to support our argument. We conclude by introducing a communication flow model to support the further development of research on organizational meaning networks.

Citation

Moser, C., Groenewegen, P. and Ferguson, J.E. (2017), "Meaning in Organizational Networks – from Social to Digital and Back", Structure, Content and Meaning of Organizational Networks (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol. 53), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 211-229. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20170000053008