Sunbelt XXXI International Network for Social Network ... - INSNA

The Global Telecommunication Network: A Longitudinal Network Analysis1978‐2008Barnett, George A.Communication NetworksCommunication Networks, International Networks, GlobalisationFRI.PM1This paper reviews current knowledge about the structure of the international telecommunications network and how it has changed over time as a result ofthe process of globalization, historical events and changes in telecommunications technology. Then, it presents the results of a longitudinal network analysis(1978‐2008) in which nation‐states are the nodes linked by the frequency of telecommunications, operationalized as the number of minutes of telephone callsbetween countries as reported by TeleGeography. The global telephone network in 2008 may be described as having a center‐periphery structure with theNorth American and Western European countries at the center, and less economically developed countries at the periphery. This is consistent with WorldSystems Theory. However, the peripheral nations are also clustered into regional/cultural groups — Latin America, Asia, Islam, and the former Soviet Republics.Over time, the integration of the global community, the breakup of the Eastern Bloc, the reintegration of Hong Kong into China and the bursting of the dotcombubble have resulted in major changes in the pattern of global telephone flows. The network has become denser and more highly centralized, although thesetrends have not been monotonic. Since 2000, there has been a decline in the rate of change in international telephone network. This decrease is most likelydue changes in telecommunications technology, the adoption of the Internet and VoIP.The Impact Of Communication Network Structures On Transactive Memory ProcessesHoutman, Leonie; Agneessens, Filip; van den Hooff, BartCommunication NetworksCommunication, Embeddedness, Knowledge sharing, Transactive Memory SystemFRI.PM1Transactive memory consists of ‘meta‐knowledge about what another person knows, combined with the body of knowledge resulting from that understanding'(Lewis 2003:588). There are three processes underlying the transactive memory system (TMS): (1) the level of directory updating, or so called expertiserecognition, (2) the level of information allocation, which implies the degree to which people pass on information to the other, and (3) retrieval coordination,which is aimed at communication to retrieve information and the ease of knowledge retrieval. This study investigates how the embeddedness of dyads in thecommunication network structure of a professional service firm influences the awareness of expertise, the willingness to share information and the perceptionthat others will provide information. More specifically, we test whether individual centrality in the communication network and dyadic measures ofembeddedness influence the transactive memory processes, controlling for attributes such as gender, and whether they participate in similar projects or arepart of similar teams. The study is conducted in a consultancy firm with 138 employees, who operate mainly on the public and not‐for‐profit market.