
Formal and Informal Networks in Organizations
Giuseppe Soda(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Will be published approx. on 2. July 2026
Book
Hardback
386 pages
978-0-19-780835-1 (ISBN)
Description
Both scholars and decision-makers recognize that the functioning of an organization is the result of a complex interplay between purposively designed elements, such as structures and processes, and emergent elements, like the informal networks of relationships that connect individuals and groups. Despite this widely shared awareness, scientific knowledge on this relationship and its translation into coherent models and principles of organizational design remain fragmented and unstructured.
This book adopts a network perspective that conceptualizes organizational structure as a landscape of interconnected networks composed of actors' interactions and relationships. Some of these networks are intentionally designed, grounded in formal structures, processes, and workflows. Others emerge informally, shaped by instrumental and expressive social ties. Together, they constitute the relational infrastructure through which actors coordinate and access key resources, including information, knowledge, and social or political support.
Drawing on empirical studies conducted across diverse organizational contexts, the book develops a unified theory and methodology for interpreting and understanding the complex relationship between formal organizational structures and informal social networks, how they shape one another, evolve together, and jointly influence organizational outcomes
This book adopts a network perspective that conceptualizes organizational structure as a landscape of interconnected networks composed of actors' interactions and relationships. Some of these networks are intentionally designed, grounded in formal structures, processes, and workflows. Others emerge informally, shaped by instrumental and expressive social ties. Together, they constitute the relational infrastructure through which actors coordinate and access key resources, including information, knowledge, and social or political support.
Drawing on empirical studies conducted across diverse organizational contexts, the book develops a unified theory and methodology for interpreting and understanding the complex relationship between formal organizational structures and informal social networks, how they shape one another, evolve together, and jointly influence organizational outcomes
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
717 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-780835-1 (9780197808351)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Giuseppe Soda
Formal and Informal Networks in Organizations
Book
approx. 06/2026
Oxford University Press Inc
€30.50
Not yet published
Person
Giuseppe "Beppe" Soda is Full Professor of Organization Theory and Network Analysis at Bocconi University. His research focuses on the origins, dynamics, and performance effects of intra- and inter-organizational networks, particularly the interplay between formal structures and informal relationships.
Author
Professor of Organization Theory and Network AnalysisProfessor of Organization Theory and Network Analysis, Bocconi University
Content
- Prologue
- 1: Formal and Informal Organization
- 2: Organizations as Multiple Interacting Networks of Formal and Informal Relations
- 3: Formal and Informal Networks: Origins and Evolution
- 4: Isomorphism-Consistency-Between Formal and Informal Networks
- 5: Performance Consequences of the Interplay Between Formal and Informal Networks
- 6: Organizational Design and Network Interventions
- Epilogue: Informal and Formal Networks in the Age of AI and New Ways of Working