complexity & social networks theories

Chapter 4 in the text discusses systems theory, which most students find intuitively interesting because of the focus on interconnectedness. For this post, rather than comment on what you've been blogging about, I want to briefly introduce two theories with roots in systems theory that focus on the intersection between new media and organizational communication. You won't be tested on this information, but I thought you might find these theories interesting. The theories also suggest how organizational scholars and practitioners might apply systems theory in more pragmatic ways.

Complexity or chaos theory provides a useful twist on traditional systems theory and Castell's (1996-8) idea of a global network society. Complexity theory makes two crucial moves that take researchers beyond the notion of a single unified world system. First, as you've learned in Chapter 4, a system's beginnings influence its end conditions, but do not determine it. For example the internet's history plays a part in current outcomes, but because that history is complex, all the key factors cannot be known. Similarly, an organization's endpoint cannot be predicted from its beginnings. Even with all the hearings and litigation associated with Enron, all the events leading to its collapse will never be fully known.

Second, complexity theory suggests "our modern global society is not one huge network, but consists of an enormous number of loosely coupled networks" (Qvortrup, 2006, p. 347). Recall in Chapter 4, Weick introduced organizational scholars to the notion of loosely-coupled systems. In this way, people are connected via multiple local and global networks, rather than a single network. Although these networks may affect each other, their connection is often indirect.

The internet functions as multiple loosely coupled networks. Originally created as a highly decentralized network to maximize the system's ability to work around any service disruptions, the internet links computers together via multiple paths. Thus, a disruption in one part of the system may influence another part, but those unaffected parts will still continue to function. Multinational organizations provide a useful example of loosely-coupled systems as well. Even when highly centralized, MNOs still exhibit the qualities of loosely coupled networks, with units located in different countries often functioning in different ways. In differentiating MNOs from other types of organizations, Peterson and Thomas (2007) observe that MNOs have

high levels of organizational complexity and a distinctive set of structures that are used to manage a pool of common resources and to transfer complex knowledge over distance. MNOs are often large and require numerous linkages to diverse external environments. The distinctive structures that they use to handle these demands include roles such as expatriates and unique categories of managers, as well as coordinating mechanisms such as international virtual teams (p. 263, 265).

Complexity theory serves to illuminate at a macro-level the intricate ways in which internet and organizational communication intersect.

Complexity theory focuses on the larger or more macro issues associated with new media and organizational communication. Social networks theory narrows the focus by identifying specific types of networks within and between organizations. Connectivity forms the central notion of social network theory. While the application of traditional systems theory in organizational communication simply examined who talked to whom, social networks theory "emphasizes the importance of exchanges that support both work and social processes" (Haythornthwaite, 2005, p. 127). Researchers examine the complexity of interactions within a social network, such as the content, frequency, level of intimacy, and relationship among participants. Although Granovetter (1973) popularized social networks theory long before the internet's emergence, the theory provides important insights into how internet communication plays a central role in developing and structuring social networks in organizations.

In applying social networks theory to internet and organizational communication, Haythornthwaite (2005) found that "online-only ties are characterized by the same kinds of interactions the literature tells us are found for offline ties" (p. 135). In addition, the researcher found the internet provided the mechanism for establishing new relationships where none had existed before. Moreover, "like other new infrastructures before it, the more 'traffic' flows on the Internet, the more those without the means to access it are excluded from its information" (p. 140). In nearly all organizations, internet access and access to relevant organization information are essential for effective functioning at the individual and unit levels.

--Prof. Cyborg

References

Castells, Manuel (1996–8) The information age: Economy, society, culture, Vols 1–3. Oxford: Blackwell.

Granovetter, M. S. (1973) The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 1360–1380.

Haythornthwaite, C. (2005). Social networks and internet connectivity effects. Information, Communication & Society 8, 125-147.

Peterson, M. F., & Thomas, D. C. (2007). Organizational behavior in multinational organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 261-279.

Qvortrup, L. (2006). Understanding new digital media: Medium theory or complexity theory? European Journal of Communication, 21, 345-356.