Little Teams, Big Data: Big Data Provides New Opportunities for Teams Theory

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy R. Carter ◽  
Raquel Asencio ◽  
Amy Wax ◽  
Leslie A. DeChurch ◽  
Noshir S. Contractor
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Data Streams ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
Value Add ◽  
Scientific Endeavor ◽  
Collective Goals

Over the past 25 years, industrial and organizational (I-O) psychologists have made great strides forward in the area of teams research. They have developed and tested meso-level theories that explain and predict the behavior of individuals in teams and teams operating within and across organizations. The continued contributions of I-O psychologists to theory and research on teams require us to address the challenges—several of which were well described in the focal article (Guzzo, Fink, King, Tonidandel, & Landis, 2015)—and embrace the opportunities that are being ushered in by big and broad data streams (Hendler, 2013). We suggest that a principal unique value add of the I-O psychologist to the basic scientific endeavor of understanding small teams comes in the form of theory—theories that explain why, when, how, and to what end individuals form relationships needed for teams to function in unison toward the accomplishment of collective goals. Some have argued that the big data revolution means “the end of theory,” suggesting petabyte data render theoretical models obsolete (Anderson, 2008). On the contrary, we submit that big-data enabled social science holds the promise of rapid progress in social science theory, particularly in the area of teams.

Grievance Procedure Research: A Review and Theoretical Recommendations

1996 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Bemmels ◽  
Janice R. Foley
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Grievance Procedure ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
The Future

This review focuses on the grievance procedure research published in the past decade with specific attention on the application (or lack thereof) of social science theory to grievance research. The review concludes that the theoretical grounding of recent grievance research has improved over the earlier research, but remains quite inadequate. Recommendations on the direction that grievance research should take in the future to further improve on the theoretical content of grievance research are provided. It is argued that theory in grievance research should advance at two levels: the comprehensive systems approach, and the application of specific social science theories to narrower aspects of the grievance process.

scholarly journals Kroppens vej ind og ud af samfundsvidenskaben

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Cristina Alzaga
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sociological Analysis ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Product Matrix ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
Action Knowledge ◽  
Social Product

The body’s journey in and out of social science theory. In the last couple of decades we have witnessed a veritable explosion of literature about the body. This article poses the question of whether the recent “rediscovery” of the instinctual, habitual, feeling, knowing, communicative, erotic and political organism by diverse currents of social inquiry has redeemed the body and moved us toward a resolution of its mystery, or whether it has consigned the body to newer forms of peripherality and obscurity, reducing it to yet another sign, thereby eliding its special presence, knowledge and powers. As opposed to the argument put forward by some students of the body that the fundamental existential fact of human embodiedness belongs to a domain of research neglected in sociological inquiries of the past, this article maintains that in order to hold together and reconcile the body’s manifold facets and guises we need to excavate and build upon the analytical resources handed on to us from the sociological past. It is argued that this can help us to adequately grasp the body as social product, matrix, and mediation, in an effort to move beyond the dualistic and disincarnated theories of action, knowledge and structure that dominate sociological analysis. The article pursues these issues by means of a close examination of several contemporary currents of social theory that circle about and/or through the body. The article draws upon ideas developed at a seminar held at UC Berkeley, USA, with Professor Loic Wacquant, during the fall of 2001.

The Theory of Political and Social Economics: Beyond the Neoclassical Perspective

1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Scott Gassler
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Systems Science ◽  
Social Economics ◽  
Interdisciplinary Work ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
Positive Economics

In the past twenty-five or thirty years interest has grown again among economists and others in the application of economic analysis to topics heretofore considered beyond the scope of positive economics. I call the results of this application “political and social economics”. Two problems have arisen in that process. The first is how to adapt the theory to new situations where the original set of assumptions may fail to apply. This paper argues that we must overcome that reluctance, and it provides a framework for keeping track of and reexamining assumptions as necessary when doing interdisciplinary work. The second problem is how to take a theory designed for one discipline and turn it into something intelligible to practitioners of another. This paper argues that systems science is the appropriate way to reformulate economic theory so it can fit into a broader scheme of social science theory.

The Potential of Social Science Theory for the Evaluation and Improvement of Drug Courts

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen E. DeVall ◽  
Paul D. Gregory ◽  
David J. Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Social Learning Theory ◽  
Therapeutic Jurisprudence ◽  
Drug Courts ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Drug Treatment Courts ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
Treatment Courts

As drug treatment courts developed over the past 20 years, they were increasingly and productively grounded in the philosophy of therapeutic jurisprudence and in the operational standards of the 10 key components. Both of these and particularly the growing literature on the efficacy of the key components offer guidance for the implementation and monitoring of programs and provide a logic for attributing outcomes to program operation. What then, if anything, might be gained by an explicit attention to what is generally called social science theory in understanding and modifying drug courts? This article addresses these questions and develops social learning theory as an example of the potential for this union of theoretical and practical concerns.

Social Science Theory for Environmental Sustainability

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc J. Stern
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Persuasive Communication ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communication Conflict ◽  
To Come ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

Social science theory for environmental sustainability: A practical guide makes social science theory accessible and usable to anyone interested in working toward environmental sustainability at any scale. Environmental problems are, first and foremost, people problems. Without better understandings of the people involved, solutions are often hard to come by. This book answers calls for demonstrating the value of theories from the social sciences for solving these types of problems and provides strategies to facilitate their use. It contains concise summaries of over thirty social science theories and demonstrates how to use them in diverse contexts associated with environmental conflict, conservation, natural resource management, and other environmental sustainability challenges. The practical applications of the theories include persuasive communication, conflict resolution, collaboration, negotiation, enhancing organizational effectiveness, working across cultures, generating collective impact, and building more resilient governance of social-ecological systems. Examples throughout the book and detailed vignettes illustrate how to combine multiple social science theories to develop effective strategies for environmental problem solving. The final chapter draws out key principles for enhancing these efforts. The book will serve as a key reference for environmental professionals, business people, students, scientists, public officials, government employees, aid workers, or any concerned citizen who wants to be better equipped to navigate the social complexities of environmental challenges and make a meaningful impact on any environmental issue.

Personhood, belonging, affect and affliction

2021 ◽  
pp. 003802612110192
Author(s):  
Alex Broom ◽  
Sophie Lewis ◽  
Rhiannon Parker ◽  
Leah Williams Veazey ◽  
Katherine Kenny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Caring Relations ◽  
Cultural Origins

What does migrancy mean for personhood, and how does this flow through caring relations? Drawing on life history interviews and photo elicitation with 43 people who identify as migrants and live with cancer, here we argue for the significance of recognising complex personhood as it inflects illness and care. Drawing on social science theory around temporalities, moralities and belonging, we assemble a series of cross-cutting themes at the intersection of personhood and care; relations that transcend cultural origins yet are vividly illustrated in relation to migrant pasts. In seeking a multidimensional view of personhood, we attend to the intersecting layers of complexity that make up care in this context vis-a-vis an emphasis on forms of difference, vulnerability and otherness. In this way, we develop an approach to personhood and care that broadens the lens on migrancy and cancer, but also, one that speaks to the importance of recognition of complexity and how it shapes care more generally.

Human Rights between Jurisprudence and Social Science

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEXANDRA HUNEEUS
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
The One

AbstractThis article argues that human rights law – which mediates between claims about universal human nature, on the one hand, and hard-fought political battles, on the other – is in particular need of a richer exchange between jurisprudential approaches and social science theory and methods. Using the example of the Inter-American Human Rights System, the article calls for more human rights scholarship with a new realist sensibility. It demonstrates in what ways legal and social science scholarship on human rights law both stand to improve through sustained, thoughtful exchange.

scholarly journals Norms and values in socio-hydrological models

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahendran Roobavannan ◽  
Tim H. M. van Emmerik ◽  
Yasmina Elshafei ◽  
Jaya Kandasamy ◽  
Matthew Sanderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Environmental Decision Making ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Future Prediction ◽  
Model Transfer

Abstract. Sustainable water resources management relies on understanding how societies and water systems co-evolve. Many place-based socio-hydrology (SH) studies use proxies, such as environmental degradation, to capture key elements of the social component of system dynamics. Parameters of assumed relationships between environmental degradation and the human response to it are usually obtained through calibration. Since these relationships are not yet underpinned by social science theories, confidence in the predictive power of such place-based socio-hydrologic models remains low. The generalisability of SH models therefore requires major advances in incorporating more realistic relationships, underpinned by appropriate hydrological and social science data, and theories. The latter is a critical input, since human culture – especially values and norms arising from it – influences behaviour and the consequences of behaviours. This paper reviews a key social science theory that links cultural factors to environmental decision-making, assesses how to better incorporate social science insights to enhance SH models, and raises important questions to be addressed in moving forward. This is done in the context of recent progress in socio-hydrological studies and the gaps that remain to be filled. The paper concludes with a discussion of challenges and opportunities in terms of generalisation of SH models and the use of available data to allow future prediction and model transfer to ungauged basins.

Cyberinsecurity and Cyberwarfare

2015 ◽  
pp. 383-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Chong
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Human Computer Interaction ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
User Behaviour ◽  
Social Science Theory ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
Solid Foundation ◽  
Computer Interaction

This chapter seeks to define the term “cyberinsecurity” as the intersection of human fears and errors with user behaviour in a digital setting. Examining links between psychology and human-computer interaction, the author explores several case studies set against the context of cyber-authoritarianism in Asian countries and argues that any attempts to address or advance studies in cybersecurity and cyberwarfare must be grounded in a solid foundation of current social science theory.

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