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Network Logic - Index of

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<strong>Network</strong> logic<br />

verbal forms <strong>of</strong> mutual engagement in joint enterprises, informal<br />

exchanges <strong>of</strong> skills, and the sharing <strong>of</strong> tacit knowledge. These practices<br />

create flexible boundaries <strong>of</strong> meaning that are <strong>of</strong>ten unspoken.<br />

In every organisation there is a continuous interplay between its<br />

informal networks and its formal structures. The formal policies and<br />

procedures are always filtered and modified by the informal<br />

networks, which allows them to use their creativity when faced with<br />

unexpected and novel situations. Ideally, the formal organisation will<br />

recognise and support its informal networks <strong>of</strong> relationships and will<br />

incorporate their innovations into the organisation’s formal<br />

structures.<br />

Biological and social networks<br />

Let us now juxtapose biological and social networks and highlight<br />

some <strong>of</strong> their similarities and differences. Biological systems exchange<br />

molecules in networks <strong>of</strong> chemical reactions; social systems exchange<br />

information and ideas in networks <strong>of</strong> communications. Thus,<br />

biological networks operate in the realm <strong>of</strong> matter, whereas social<br />

networks operate in the realm <strong>of</strong> meaning.<br />

Both types <strong>of</strong> networks produce material structures. The metabolic<br />

network <strong>of</strong> a cell, for example, produces the cell’s structural<br />

components, and it also generates molecules that are exchanged<br />

between the network’s nodes as carriers <strong>of</strong> energy or information, or<br />

as catalysts <strong>of</strong> metabolic processes. Social networks, too, generate<br />

material structures – buildings, roads, technologies and so on – that<br />

become structural components <strong>of</strong> the network; and they also produce<br />

material goods and artefacts that are exchanged between the<br />

network’s nodes.<br />

In addition, social systems produce non-material structures. Their<br />

processes <strong>of</strong> communication generate shared rules <strong>of</strong> behaviour, as<br />

well as a shared body <strong>of</strong> knowledge. The rules <strong>of</strong> behaviour, whether<br />

formal or informal, are known as social structures and are the main<br />

focus <strong>of</strong> social science. The ideas, values, beliefs and other forms <strong>of</strong><br />

knowledge generated by social systems constitute structures <strong>of</strong><br />

meaning, which we may call semantic structures.<br />

32 Demos

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