Social Network Analysis in Human Resource Development: A New Methodology

Purpose The purpose of this study is to reveal how research on brain-based learning (BBL) addressing adult learners’ education and training issues has contributed to the overall knowledge base linking neuroscience, adult education and human resource development (HRD) research and practices. Through this comprehensive review of the BBL studies, this paper aims to expand the landscape of understanding educational phenomenon in adult education and organizational settings using the lens of neuroscience. Design/methodology/approach Using the content analysis method, this study extracts key research themes and methodological choices from the body of BBL studies. In addition, this paper explores the relationships and proximity among key concepts of BBL research using keyword network analysis. For data analysis, this study reviews the current literature on BBL addressing both adult education and HRD topics from 1985 to 2019. Findings The findings of this study provide a clearer picture of the potential mechanisms of BBL approaches observed in the literature of adult education and HRD. What has been found from the thematic analysis is that addressing misconceptions about the neuroscience of learning is regarded as an important topic. In terms of the methodological approaches, the literature review was a dominantly used method, whereas experimental or quantitative research has yet to be fully performed. Influential keywords and topics obtained from the keyword network analysis reveal the primary foci and structural patterns of current BBL research. Originality/value This study makes a significant contribution to theories and research in adult education and HRD scholarship as it provides an integrative view of key research themes and major issues about BBL. Additionally, our findings offer practical insights for adult educators and HR professionals to successfully apply neuroscientific approaches.

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Human Capital, Social Capital, and Social Network Analysis: Implications for Strategic Human Resource Management

Academy of Management Perspectives ◽

10.5465/amp.2014.0140 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 370-385 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

John R. Hollenbeck ◽

Bradley B. Jamieson

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Human Capital ◽

Social Network ◽

Resource Management ◽

Social Network Analysis ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Human Resource Management ◽

Human Resource ◽

Strategic Human Resource Management ◽

Capital Social

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Social Network Analysis of Sustainable Human Resource Management from the Employee Training’s Perspective

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11020380 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 380 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Lu Zhang ◽

Xiaochao Guo ◽

Zhimei Lei ◽

Ming Lim

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Resource Management ◽

Social Network Analysis ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Human Resource Management ◽

Human Resource ◽

Employee Training ◽

Skills Training ◽

Continuous Growth ◽

Corporate Social

Employee training is not only important for the continuous growth of human resources but also guarantees sustainable human resource management in enterprises. It is very important to understand corporate behaviour related to employee training not only from the perspective of a single enterprise but also from that of multiple enterprises. The purpose of this study is to explore multiple enterprises’ employee training behaviours by conducting a content analysis of corporate social responsibility (sustainability) reports and a social network analysis. This study also seeks to find a way to achieve sustainable employee training by analysing the similarities in the different types of corporate training behaviours. Our analysis shows that, in 2017, 108 types of training activities were implemented by 53 enterprises; the key employee trainings (e.g., security training and skills training) and enterprises (e.g., bank of communication) are identified. The training behaviours of some of the enterprises are similar to some extent, and eight groups of firms that are very similar are identified. The results of this study show that social network analysis performs well for studying corporate employee training behaviours. Some suggestions to minimize the investment costs of training and to improve the sustainability of human resource management from the employee training perspective are provided.

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