| dc.description.abstract | This Ph.D. dissertation aims to clarify the issues relating to the evolution of networks. In
the literature on the Social Network Theory, there is a lack of dynamic perspective. In particular,
the salient feature in the wide literature pertaining to the antecedents and outcomes of networks is
that the studies handling the structure and positions of actors of networks with a static approach
are numerous. The result of this is that the focus point of theoretical and empirical studies is
unilateral; and the issue of change usually remains outside the focus in network studies. In
consideration of this shortcoming, this thesis study, investigates the interorganizational network
structuring through the concept of change, which is overlooked in network theory research.
By focusing on static properties of networks, it is possible to obtain limited information.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance to analyze networks from a dynamic perspective and to
assess how the networks have evolved. A prominent reason for the issue of change to receive less
attention in the social network studies is the need for data obtained from long-term and
longitudinal analyses to conduct such research. In this regard, with the aim to contribute to the
literature by filling such gap, this research has been structured on the basis of the main
proposition that the evolution of the dominant economic actors and boards of directors in
organizations, in other words, the intergenerational changes in organizations, would alter the
characteristics of network relations at the interorganizational level. An important contribution of
this study is to provide an explanation to the evolution of the network structures and the positions
of actors in particular. Considering change of network structures, connections of previous and
current network structures are in an interpenetrated state. Organizations make an important
impact on network structures when they hand down all their interactions and experiences on
previous network structures the next generations.
In this vein, for testing the hypotheses of this study, first of all large family businesses that
have reached their third generation are chosen. Accordingly, of these organizations, the interorganizational
network relations of the representatives of the first, second and third generations
are identified. Afterwards, the dominant economic actors representing each generation were
compared. The results supported the main hypotheses and the objective of this study. Results of
the analysis support suggestions of the study and reveal that intergenerational change in
V
organizations have an impact on the change of characteristics of interorganizational network
structures. It is found that intergenerational change in organizations reduces the rate of strong
relations at the interorganizational level; intergenerational change increases the number of
brokers in network relations at the interorganizational level; the ratio of the positioning of the
members of the Board of Directors at the center in the network as well as the ratio of brokerage
increase. | en_US |
