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The network analysis in Community Work. Anna Krausova Department of Social Work Medico-Social Faculty University of Ostrava. What is a network?.
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The network analysis in Community Work Anna Krausova Department of Social Work Medico-Social Faculty University of Ostrava
What is a network? In literature various definitions of a network can be found. Often, it is described as a structure of relations and connections created by organizations due to the fact these organizations are mutually dependent. A network can be compared to a road or railway network. It contains various nodes {stations, cities, traffic centers} interconnected by lines of communications.
These lines of communications can be used in various ways, ranging from very intensively to very seldomly. Sometimes direct connections between certain nodes are missing. The nodes may be big and important, or on the contrary, small and unimportant for the whole. Each point can be reached in various ways. In the theory of networks, the nodes are called “actors” {these are groups, organizations, institutions and persons} and the lines ofcommunication are called “relations”.
Important characteristics of a network are: Autonomy: each actor is an independently acting person, organization or institution Horizontal relations: a network is composed of horizontal connections. There is no central power that might control and dominate the whole. Since power relations are missing, processes of negotiation play important role. Various positions: position of the actors may vary greatly. Within the network, their influence may be more or less important. They may have less or more auxiliary resources {money, space, staff, information, contacts}. Their position within the network may be central {with many relations to other actors} or on the contrary, may be rather isolated.
Dependent: the actors are mutually dependent on each other {to different degrees} in the sense that they need each other to attain certain goals.A network is dynamic. The character of the relations may change, new actors may appear and others disappear.Transformable: a network can be made. If contacts do not exist, they can be established. Perhaps, some relations are not used for some time, but they may be established again when needed. Unnecessary relations can be interrupted.
The basis principle of the network is that we do not hold the individual actor as crucial, but the relations between them. We do not concentrate on one person, group or organization, but on all persons, groups and organizations mutually related to a certain goal or problem, and we examine the character of these relations {do they counteract, collaborate or establish coalition}. “Networking” means using and influencing the relations between actors.
Network types Issue networks or strategic alliances These networks are mainly composed of organizations, institutions and groups which can be easily identified and contacted. All actors of an issue network are in some way or another concerned with a specific “issue”. An issue may be a problem, a need or an idea to be solved or realized like stimulating school attendance. Actors who may have a contribution in the realization of that issue or whose collaboration is expected or who on the contrary might act negatively, may become visible in a network drawing showing the mutual relations of the actors. This information can be useful when formulating a strategy for the problem solution.
Organizational networksAlso, in these networks are organizations, institutions and formal groups. An organizational network is one of the possibilities to shape the interaction and collaboration between actors. An organizational network can be defined as a co-operative or formalized relationship between autonomous entities that are working towards a common goal, or whose individual interests are better served within a collective structure. Here, the network can be regarded as a kind of organization.
Networks are a favored organizational form wherever a broad operational field is involved (for example, where links are made between grass roots and international levels), where problems or themes are so dynamic that rigid structures are not suitable, and where loose ties are preferable to formal organizational bonds. In the field of community development, networks have proven to be a useful way to bring about change.Social networksActors of social networks are persons and informal groups. Examples of social networks are families, neighborhoods, informal contacts between colleagues, visitors of a cultural centre or a church, parents of children visiting a specific school. Social networks fulfill an important role in the life of people and for the functioning of the society.
Support networksThe actors in these networks are also persons and informal groups. Support networks are organized with a specific interaction. For instance, networks in the women’s movement, self-help groups or initiative groups of different communities consulting each other. The first two types of networks are characterized by the fact that they are constituted by formal organizations and in the second two types the actors are persons and informal groups. Networks can also be sorted according to others criteria, for instance according to extend of continuity and the scope of their goals. Issue networks and support networks are developed and activated in certain goal has to be reached. These networks are goal oriented and have a temporary and flexible character.
Dependent on the issue, relevant institutions and groups launch coalitions. After reaching the goal {for instance, a medical centre is build in the community} or finishing a joint activity or project {for instance, a summer camp for children}, the participants return to their own matters.
Network analysis The network analysis is a method used for developing a strategy or plan. It is mainly used when tracing issue networks, but it is also appropriate for the research and development of other types of networks. The premise is that you have a clear idea about the aim you want to attain. Therefore, the starting point of the analysis is always the chosen issue. In this section we will focus on issue networks. Actors may cluster around a specific issue. In this way, issue networks arise. Making a picture of these of these networks can help to analyze the situation, and based on this analysis a strategy can emergence.
In this strategy, you can use your knowledge about the involvement and possible influence of the different actors in the issue of network, be it in favor or against your goal at particular moment. In strategic thinking, this kind of knowledge is commonly used without making a network analysis, but then people often rely only on intuition. The network analysis makes is possible to work more systematically. But the network analysis, you examine which actors (groups, organizations, institutions and persons) play, or might play a role in solution of a certain problem.
By carrying out this analysis in systematic steps, you will have the possibility of:- finding partners for collaboration- finding counteracting forces- preventing work duplication (when it becomes visible that other persons or organizations are already working on specific issues)- formulating the strategy for attending your goal.It is important to realize this picture in always only a snapshot, a registration of the moment. A network has a dynamic character: new actor appears, old ones disappear, the attitude of actor and their possibilities or readiness to act may change. Therefore, it is necessary to check regularly if the shape of the network has since changed.
Steps of network analysis 1 identify central actor 2 set the goal 3 brainstorm about actors 4 selection of actors: - significance - is ready to act (positively or negatively) 5 network mapping 6 analysis - problem definition - interests - resources - influence/power 7 strategy
Step 1: Defining the central actor (CA). This is a group, organization, institution or person wanting to find an approach for a specific issue. This central actor must be defined carefully and precisely. First of all is necessary that there is full agreement about the goal to attain. For instance the central actor cannot be an organization in which various counteracting parties have arisen in connection with the issue. In such a case, it is better to define one of the parties as the central actor. The starting point of the strategy is simply the goal this central actor wants to reach.
Step 2: Setting a clear and concrete description of the issue and goal. It is important to make a clear the problem definition on which these are based, because the way you look at a problem often shows specific ways to the solution. Because other actors may have different definitions of the problem, our own clarity makes it possible to identify eventual discrepancies or conflicts.
Step 3: Brainstorm about the actors who are involved in this issue or may play a role in realizing the goal. It is important to find out all possible actors who might hive a contribution. That is the intention of brainstorming. Using a technique we avoid the danger of forgetting important partners or actors inhibiting the fulfillment of the goal. The organization of some actors is so complex that it is also important to analyze their inner structure. For instance, a municipality will have a minorities department, a department for civic matters and an information desk. Each department will follow its own policy and the approach of the various departments towards the issue can be very different.
Step 4: Selection of relevant actors. You can now ask two questions concerning each of the actors found:- to what extent is this actor really important for reaching the goal (significant)? - to what extent can it be expected that this actor will act and take specific steps supporting or counteracting the fulfillment of the goal (ready to act)?
Now, unimportant and non-acting actors may be skipped. Relevant are those actors that are really significant and ready to act. You must pay attention to them from the outset and start to work with them. Those actors that are significant but yet not willing to act, must be kept in the background. Perhaps they can play a role later or should be informed earlier than later to prevent any ill feeling and counteracting.
Step 5: Making a drawing of the network. You are now able to map the position and the mutual relations between the different actors and their relations with the central actor. This can be carried out in different ways (see for instance scheme). This map serves as a visual aid to get an insight into the situation.
Step 6: Carrying out a deeper analyzing of each actor. For this analysis the following questions are important:What is the problem definition of the actor in relation to issue?- Which interests does the actor have in the realisation/non-realisation of the goals of the central actor?- Which resources (money, space, contacts, information, PR possibilities, expertise etc.) does the actor have and which resources are needed by the central actor?- How much influence/power has the actor on the central and the other actors in the network? The direction and the extent of the influence can be indicated by arrows and the thickness of these arrows in the network drawing.
Step 7: Choice and development a strategy. Answers to the questions above will make up an important part of date needed for the development of the strategy to obtain the goal of the central actor. Some extra information will be needed concerning the environmental factors that cannot be influenced directly but that may have a lot of power (for instance, governmental policy). The analysis makes clear on which actors the strategy should focus primarily and also who will support or counteract. The network drawing will also show the missing link, enabling you to see which relations must be developed or strengthened and how best to execute this process. Sometimes, for instance, it’s advisable not to act directly but to use a “roundabout:” approach. This means using one actor to make contact with another.
Social networks/social structures The actors in social networks are persons and informal groups. Examples are family relations, contact between neighbors, circles of friends, groups of colleagues, members of a football club, visitors of a church or mosque. Actors in these kind of networks know each other. They exchange experiences and carry out joint activities. Social networks fulfill the basic needs of social contact, belonging, material and emotional support and appreciation. Social networks are always face-to-face groups. Social networks have a rather permanent character. Like organizational networks the structure may vary from loose to very tight (a weekly choir forms a more loosely structured social network than a family). The intensity of participation by the different actors and their interest in this participation can also vary.
Social networks are not only important for the individual, they fulfill a basic task in the process of socialization needed for the smooth functioning of society. The cohesion of society is given by its common frame of reference, in a pattern of values and norm that members of this society see as legitimate. In modern complex society, this common framework cannot consist of very detailed rules since there are so many groups – each of which has its own culture and norms. Our society is based on a certain amount of central values, basically those that are formulated in the constitution: freedom of speech, the right of self-determination, equivalence, ban on discrimination and physical violence.
People make themselves familiar with the values and norms in their social networks. It is therefore important for a society to use these networks. Examples can be found in the practice of influencing the public. If the state wants to change the attitude and the behavior of its citizens (for example, on the topics of smoking or environmental awareness), it has to reach out to the social networks. Opinions are primarily formed within social networks and our behavior and choices are very much influenced by them. This fact is also very important for all kinds of preventive, educational and information activities, and for the whole process of community development. When we want to establish contact with particular target groups to activate and motivate them, it is advisable to do this through the social networks that are important for them.
Networks in the neighborhood In the past, people’s social contacts were mostly in the neighborhood in which they lived. Nowadays, many social networks exceed the borders of the neighborhood, the quarter, the tow and even the state. People no longer live their whole life in one village or neighborhood near to their family members, colleagues and friends. It means that the function of networks in the neighborhood is less comprehensive that is used to be. Their value for everyday life nevertheless remains important for groups of inhabitants with lesser mobility (physical and economical) who are dependent on the neighborhood (the elderly, household wives and men, children, people with a low income or disabled persons). This is also true for many Roma communities.
Social networks in the neighborhood/community have a lot of different functions for the people who live there, such as:- mutual help: tending coffee, daily care for children, shopping for the sick, translation of a letter- sociability- social control (can be positive: you feel jointly responsible for a clean street; or more negative: a certain way of life is imposed)- exchange of information about all kinds of vital questions- identification with the neighborhood an from this, mobilization for actions and activities.
The charakter and intensity of these social can vary greatly. A common characteristic is the avoidance of too much intimacy and conflicts. Many relations within a neighborhood become more visible from the moment when help or support is needed.
Social networks in neighborhoods are important for community for many reasons:They serve a reservoirs for mobilizing people to become involved in actions and activities. Word of mouth promotion is still more effective than posters and pamphlets. If you know informal leaders in the neighborhood or community, you may involve them. If you know the meeting places of the member of the target group you want to address, you can use them for the dissemination of information.
If you want to meet the interests of people, it is more favorable to gain information from informal circuits than to use more formal policy of an organization and the ideas of the people it claims to represent.Many people don’t want to become an active member of a group or organization permanently, but they do wont to do something from time to time. It is important for know such peopleA social network can be made and influenced. Thus, it can be used as an instrument to stimulate specificchanges in the community.
Tracing social networks/structure Social networks cannot be found in a list of important institutions or organizations of the municipality. They have to be found by research. Social networks can be traced by various methods: Making a social map Based on numerical information that can be obtained from the municipality or other institutions, a social map of a specific community or neighborhood can be created. Nowadays, a lot of data is connected with the post code. In this way, a global picture of people in a geographic area can be acquired.
Put more precisely, “position groups” living in an area. Position groups are groups that can be discriminated according to their position. This position is determinated by criteria such as social origin, age, sex, educational level, ethnicity, way of living etc. People from the same position group may have identical interests and mutual contacts. The target group we want to contact, can be identified as a position group and can be indicated on the map by a certain color. The presupposition is that in localities where many members of a certain position group live side by side, there will also exist social networks.
Meeting placesAnother method is to trace the places where members of a certain target group meet. These places may be public buildings (for instance, a school, church or mosque, health centre or educational centre) as well as informal meeting places (coffee house, pub, club room or cultural centre) and outdoor places such as a square, a corner of the street or a park.
Key personsAnother way to gain information about social networks is to assess informal leaders and key figures. Two methods can be used. The position method: looking for people about whom you assume, on the basis of their position, fulfill a leading role in their community (people who are active in the trade unions, political parties or other organizations). Using the so called reputation method, you ask random members of the relevant target group who are their informal leaders. You will find that certain people are mentioned time and again. Such people know must about the target group and the mutual relations.
SociogramWhen working on a lesser scale, you can use the sociogram method. This method involves asking the target group with whom they have contacts. This method is used for instance in elementary schools when allocating pupils into classes. All children are asked the question whom they would invite for their birthday party. The answers can provide information about various social networks.ObservationThe research can also be carried out through the method of “participated observation”. Through participation in various activities and in everyday life of the target group, you can find out the structure of their contacts.
Means of communicationAnother method is to assess the ways in which a group communicates with each other, other than by direct verbal contact. For example, journals, daily papers, local TV broadcasting, internet, websites, club newsletters, special broadcast transmissions, appeals in promotional journals and posters. In this way, you also find out about places where members of the target group meet. Tracing social networks and establishing contacts is an intensive and time consuming activity. Be aware of this importance and keep your eyes and ears open. Surprisingly, many things will be known to you beforehand. Looking, listening and asking questions will give you a lot of information about social networks.
Social networks have their own dynamics and basically develop without external interference. In this aspect, they differ from the three other types of networks. People establish mutual contacts and meet in very different situations: at work, in their neighborhood, in free time activities, during education, or political activities. From there new contacts and new social networks come to being. But you may take initiatives to stimulate specific social networks, for instance by organizing social activities, serving to meet other people. Co-operating in task groups and in self-organized community groups will also increase the scope, intensity and complexity of social structure.
The following five factors stimulate accidental and loose contacts to develop into more permanent social networks:- by doing the same activities or common execution of activities (this factor appears to have the most influence)- the degrese of homogenity within a particular category of people- the degrese of dependence on the situation (if people cannot go away, it becomes more important to make contact with others)- the image of the community or neighborhoodthe extent to which common activities are stimulated wittingly
When one or more of these five factors changes, the informal circuit will be strengthen or weakened. Schuringa, L. “Community work and Roma inclusion”, Utrecht: Spolu International Foundation, 2005 p 130 – 139Thank you for your attention :o)
