Dynamic network theory: How social networks influence goal pursuit
ISBN: 9781433810824
Platform/Publisher: PsycBOOKS / American Psychological Association
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Chapter; Download: Chapter
Subjects: Group & Interpersonal Processes;

In Dynamic Network Theory , James D. Westaby expertly melds social psychology's traditional focus on individual and collective goals with organizational/management science's analyses of institutional roles. The result is a masterly interdisciplinary work that examines networks' generation of social capital in formal and informal organizations. Such analysis is made possible through a powerful combination of approaches from social psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, organization/management science, social learning, and helping skills.

Dynamic Network Theory is a quantum advance over conventional social network analysis. Reaching beyond the mere mapping of connections among a network's nodes of individuals and organizations, the author examines the various entities of social networks, how to assess the net valence of their roles, and the systemic environments that influence those roles.

Westaby expertly uses dynamic network charts to illustrate the various everyday social networks we encounter in some way at different levels of analysis--from a local community trying to help solve a neighborhood crime, to a firm wondering how to streamline decision making, or to transnational terrorist cells figuring out how to plan an attack without central control or coordination.

James D. Westaby, PhD , is an associate professor in the Program in Social-Organizational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University. He received his BA in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his PhD in social and organizational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Professor Westaby was also a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State University's Center for Applied Behavioral Science and was a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at New York University.

Dr. Westaby's research examines two main areas. The first integrates the science of social networks and human goal pursuit to explain goal achievement and performance at multiple levels of analysis. This work has culminated in the development of dynamic network theory. The second examines behavioral reasoning theory (BRT), which explains behavior at the psychological level. BRT has been applied to various domains, such as the prediction of volunteerism, turnover, and peacebuilding.

His scholarly work has been published in a number of professional outlets, such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Leadership Quarterly, and the American Journal of Public Health .

Dr. Westaby has worked with various organizations, including the United Nations, the Boeing Corporation, the New York Department of Labor, Goldman Sachs, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. He has also been involved in various professional associations, such as the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the American Psychological Association, the Academy of Management, and the Society for Judgment and Decision Making.

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