Overview of the Application of Social Network Analysis in Construction Engineering and Management Research

Abstract

Over the last two decades, social network analysis (SNA) approach has gained increasing popularity as an advanced tool in Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) field due to the emerging viewpoint of viewing projects as organizational networks. However, limited studies are available on a systematic review of the use of this tool in CEM field. Therefore, this paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing the SNA papers published in nine selected peer-reviewed journals from 1998 to 2015 to ascertain the state of the art. Based on a three-stage review, 45 papers were identified. It was found that scholars from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia published the most number of SNA-based papers, which indicated universities (institutions) and scholars from these countries enjoy significant advantage in SNA-based research. The review results provide practical references for future SNA enable applications in CEM research.