The social and intellectual dimensions in the construction of scientific knowledge: the institutional theory in organization studies in Brazil

Abstract

Based on the assumption that scientific knowledge is a social construction, (re)produced by a community of practicing researchers, in this article we seek to delineate two dimensions of this process. The first, which we have called the social dimension, has to do with the social interactions among researchers in a determined scientific field, being evaluated as a co-authorship network. The second, the intellectual dimension, defined as the programmatic profile expressed by its substantive content and provided references, is constituted in relational citation structures. With this analytical division in mind, we set out to research how the intellectual structure is conditioned by the social relationships among researchers, with a focus on the institutional analysis perspective in organizational studies in Brazil. For this purpose, we empirically evaluated the phenomenon from the convergence of the social network analysis with the scientometric analysis, seeking support for these analyses within the structurationist perspective of the institutional theory. The results point toward a conditioning of the intellectual dimension by the social dimension since there is significant evidence from individual relationships and relationships at the group level that support the argument for a recursive relationship between the two dimensions.

A Bibliometric Study on Culture Research in International Business

“…This study is especially useful for new IB scholars and post-graduate students. Often researchers need to examine the wisdom received and make sense of the stock of accumulated knowledge on a given topic or the development of a theory (Guarido, Machado-da-Silva, & Gonçalves, 2009;Guarido, Machado-da-Silva, & Rossoni, 2010). These studies permit consolidating the extant knowledge and also identifying gaps to nurture future research arenas.…”

“…Notwithstanding, cultural differences among countries are the most recognized form of psychic distance (Dow & Karunaratna, 2006 (Bellis, 2009;Cronin, 2001). Bibliometric studies aim to detect intellectual networks binding scholars to make some sense of and organize the extant literature (Pilkington & Meredith, 2009), assess trends on a given subject or discipline, identify main theories and more productive scholars or institutions, or identify and map the intellectual structure of a discipline or area of study (Acedo, Barroso, & Galan, 2006;Guarido, Machado-da-Silva, & Gonçalves, 2009;Guarido, Machado-da-Silva, & Rossoni, 2010;Pilkington & Meredith, 2009;Ramos-Rodríguez & Ruíz-Navarro, 2004). …”

Homophily in Human Resource Management Publishing

“…Publishing is essential for academic success and promotion (Adler and Harzing, 2009). 'Knowing-who' is indeed important and being part of a network is no less critical than other factors (Casciaro and Lobo, 2008) and collaboration in writing is involved with social interactions (Guarido Filho et al, 2010). A range of characteristics have been examined, including ethnicity, gender and type of higher education institution.…”

Redes Sociais: Uma Metanálise Nos Periódicos Da Área De Administração No Brasil

“…O resultado evidenciado na Figura 5 é confirmado de maneira similar em outros estudos (MACHADO-DA-SILVA; BRAGA;RUEDIGER, 2008;HOCAYEN-DA-SILVA, 2008;GONÇALVES, 2009;GUIMARÃES et al, 2009;COPOBIANGO et al, 2011;FRANCISCO, 2011), ao constatarem que as análises da centralidade e da densidade dos pesquisadores são fortes e fracas, respectivamente, ou seja, a centralidade da rede é ocupada por poucos pesquisadores e a densidade apresenta-se com ligações Figura 4: Autores mais prolíferos.…”