Week 5: Networks

Q:Think up two social networks of which you are currently  a member. Analyze the structure of each of these networks, make clear what the dependency relationships are, and what coordinative mechanisms are used.

       e.g.1: The first social network I choose is the faculty scouts team I was a member of, at my home University,  Alexandria University in Egypt. I chose this example as  I was a previous member in it and hence, familiar with .

       

  Actors (members):

·    

•   Students (scouts): all undergraduates, no hierarchy is within these actors.
• ·  Scouts team supervisior: this position is usually given to the lowest rank in the Faculty members hierarchy;  teaching assistants,  (who is either an MSc student / degree holder or a  PhD student), they are the ''team leaders'', they usually have very friendly and personal relationships with the scouts ; owing to his/her young age.
• ·    Chief of the scouts team: a faculty teacher : (the financial manager of the scout), all activities are to take place after his approval.
• ·  Vice Dean for student affairs: the highest rank in the university administration that has a direct  connection with students and between students and administration.

the next members are indirect members of the scouts network regarding contact,

but that does not exclude them from the network as the students are dependent

on them in financial terms and in case of complaints (if passed from a lower to a higher position)

•      Dean of Faculty of Science
• ·    Vice President of University for student affairs
• ·    President of Alexandria University

Network Structure:

from my point of view , I see the structure of this network as the ''Clique with bridging a structural hole '' , type with no centrality and the faculty dean as the bridge; since he's in charge of receiving the faculty's budget in general with the scout's budget implicitly.

Coordination mechanisms:

For this assignment, I will be using the coordination mechanisms based on the book: Mintzberg's Structure in Fives : Designing Effective Organizations.

Mintzberg 1983

Several coordination mechanisms could be found in this network:

·  Mutual adjustment: between scouts

·  Direct supervision: from scouts' chief on both; scouts and scouts' supervisor

· Standardization: (of work processes): there is an already set task description or ''guidelines' assigned to each actor in this network . These guidelines were put by members of the university administration.

Dependancy Relationships:

Financial dependency of  the University to the scouts activities is clear in this network, also dependency on the chief for approval on their activities

e.g.2: ''The Economic club of Washington, D.C.,''

·       An NGO

·       Organized in 1986, the Economic Club of Washington was established in recognition of the unique and critical role that Washington plays in the national and world economies and because of the Washington metropolitan area's increasing economic diversity and importance as a center of business activity.

Beginning with a membership of 100 of the area's top business and professional leaders, the Club was a immediate success and, subsequently, its membership was expanded to over 500 men and women. Established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, the Club has two primary purposes.  First, it offers a forum in which prominent business and government leaders can express their views on the most important economic issues of the day and how those issues affect the region, the Nation, and the world. Second, and equally important, it generates and promotes a greater sense of community among business leaders, government officials, and members of the diplomatic corps. http://economicclub.org/page.cfm/go/about-us

        

          Actors

• ·       Officers

President

                 Vice president

                 Vice president – programs

                 Vice president - membership

                 Vice president – education

                 Vice president - finance

                 Nominating co-chair

                 Nominating co-chair

                 Vice president – audit

                 Secretary

                 General counsel

                  Executive director

• ·       Committee Chairs : Resource Development Committee
• ·       Task Force: Grants
• ·       Board of Directors
• ·       Grantees (Beneficiaries)

Network Structure

from my own point of view , I see the structure of this network as the ''Tightly coupled network '' , type with no centrality.

Dependancy Relationships:

 This club is involved in provision of many community services; as charities,      scholarships, grants…so grantees of such services are dependant 

References

The Economic club of Washington, D.C, official website: http://economicclub.org/page.cfm/go/about-us

Mintzberg, Henry 1983. Structure in fives: designing effective organizations. Prentice Hall 1983. Business and Economics.