Network Logic - Index of
Network Logic - Index of
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