Organizational Design April 26, 2004 IS 208B

Today’s topics 1. Social networks and network organizations: what’s the difference? } Coordination issues – what makes people act collectively? } Social and technical construction of authority 2. NetWar’s five levels of organizational design: } Decision making } Narrative level } Doctrinal level } Technical infrastructure } Social underpinnings

Social networks Social networks = “sets of actors (nodes) and ties (links) with a patterned structure.”  Granovetter = information seeking behavior based on strong/weak ties.  online, on value of information, status, play.  Online social network is the sum of the relations, not sum of participants = loose ‘web of affiliation’ > organization  “structural holes” = bridges to another network = key nodes

Network organizations 1. Structure = participants recognize they are participating in a particular network, and are committed to acting collectively as a network. How is collective action created? 2. Some sort of coordination & authority structure based upon lateral communication more than hierarchical communication (or some combination). What glue? 3. Note that technical & document architecture can optimize different kinds of coordination and authority.

1. Decision making level. How do network organizations make binding decisions that coordinate individual action?  Python - hierarchical decision making, but strong ethos of learning to promote the able to more authority.  Al Quaeda? Hierarchy or Net? What kind of network design?  Earth Liberation Front (ELF) constant open communication and coordination among network of autonomous actors/groups. No chain of command.  Hybrid of nets and hierarchies -- why couldn’t FBI and CIA communicate before 9/11?

Diffusion of innovation SSRC sponsored this report as a diffusion of innovation strategy -- to alert civil society action groups to issues of organizational design implicit in adopting technology:  Civil society = between state, business & family; voluntary and nonprofit (I.e., social movements)  Equitable cultures (514) lead to collaborative > binding coordination & authority.  “mesh works” = nonhierarchical, self-organizing collaboration [525]  Global scale = real time coordination > Int’l

2.Narrative level “Networks, like other forms of organization, are held together by the narratives that people tell.” [493]  Geertz -- ability of ritual events to express collective emotion.  Dramaturgy, how narrative gives focus to roles & expectations. [Goffman, Brenda Laurel]  SSRC -- note coordination of civil action across different doctrinal interests (I.e. in WTO protests in Seattle) by constructing common narrative. How does software create narrative? look at games (immersion) and conceptual models (metaphors) and information theory (how does info give value?)

WHAT is the GLUE? In social networks =  Information value -- but tendency for virtual communities to be topically narrow and not last long -- unless information is scarce.  Social capital built by reciprocity leading to status/reputation. In network organizations =  Corporate supply chain networks = mutual dependence (essentially reciprocal exchange networks, but based upon moral obligation, collaborative learning, shared culture as well as exchange)  Political network organizations = shared values and norms/culture = sense of trust and willingness to ACT collaboratively. [Note Granovetter on SN & action]

3. Doctrinal Level Importance of doctrine in absence of the command & control function of hierarchy.  Focus on consensus and collective decision making.  Swarming [495] = decentralized actors/groups = “smart mobs” with real time communication.  Critical mass?  Seattle, WTO demonstrations

“Publishing” In SSRC report, note interest in production and distribution of information > dependence upon manipulating mass media to get message out [556] Note concern mass media became one way media, internet is many to many = stake in democratic access to Internet publishing and “intelligence.” [521] Analyze using information theory – how info constructs value.

4. Technical infrastructure Netwars: Crime, terrorism, conflict require dispersed means of transmission, reception, storage & retrieval; P2P is a model. SSRC: focus on real time mobilization of civic action through everyday communication technologies ( , web, cellphone)

5. Social underpinnings [49] In the absence of leadership or command and control structures = increased importance of the trust and shared obligation of social networks to coordinate netpolitics.  Note interest in informal distributed communication channels -- collective blogs, P2P.  Note Granovetter: political action requires strong tie reinforcement of informational organizing. Why MoveOn and MeetUp combine global communications with local meetings.

Online organizing: MeetUp & MoveOn MeetUpMeetUp = “organizing local interest groups” MeetUp  note geographical location to encourage strong tie formation.  Democracy for America 165,000 signups, based on Dean campaign = local political organizing  Information centric? MoveOn.orgMoveOn.org. Fundraising for TV advertisements; coalition building across anti-Bush, anti-war, environmentalism = like political party MoveOn.org  Action centric?

Wednesday, April 28 Review of social network & network organizations: theory and practice Hand out final exam