ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces two methods for constructing narrative network models of organizational routines by tracing patterns of actions within the routines. These methods draw on concepts from actor-network theory and sociological literature on the analysis of events, and focus on actions and patterns of actions in routines. Using the example of academic hiring, we show how to construct a narrative network using either method. Both methods involve the same basic steps necessary to define any network: (1) identifying the nodes and (2) identifying the edges, but they offer somewhat different results and serve somewhat different purposes. Methodologically, the narrative network offers a systematic way to describe practices, processes, and routines as patterns of action. We expect that these models can help researchers better visualize action patterns, represent “pattern in variety,” compare routines, study “technology in use,” detect change in routines, estimate the complexity of routines, and describe stability and change in routines.
