Social Networks – qualitative perspective

Shay Ben yosef

Some conclusions from my PhD research on community disaster recovery.

The research was based on qualitative perspective to social networks dynamics.

It's conclusions are drawing a pattern which can be seen as a model of 'Social Fractal'.

The complex nature of Community disaster recovery

• the process of community disaster recovery is actually chaotic, dynamic, and interactive, rather than orderly and progressive (Petterson 1999, Rubin 1995)

• The “recovery system” can be seen as Network of multiple stakeholders.It managed much more by interactive relations then by “Command & Control”. ( Tierney 2003, Dynes & Quarantelli, 2008 )

The network under focus:• 10,000 Israeli citizens was forced to leave their homes at

2005 withdrawal from Gaza strip.

• This case is according to the Sociological definitions, is a human made Disaster.

• The Israeli government was committed to assist their recovery. Including enabling the evacuees communities to be build in a new location.

• The recovery process was ‘self organized Network’, based on governmental, NGO’s, community – entities.

The research• hypothesis - Communities are essential agent at disaster

recovery System / Process.

• Concept - Disaster recovery can be seen as emerged human system, a network of expended interactions between agents.

• Methodology – Constructive-qualitative method. Based on Shkedi (2003), Mitleton-Kelly (2006) analyzing process.

• Expected Contribution – 1) Improve our understanding of disaster recovery process & system. 2) Better understanding of the nature of social networks dynamics.

Findings

• The Agents (nodes/hubs) and interactions at social network, in any scale,

can be seen as aggregated phenomena of four dimensions.

Four layers model:• Physical - place, space, material infrastructure.

• Organizational – purposed behavioral patterns.

• Emotional – Feelings, relationships,

• Cultural – Spirit, Values, Justifications,

Social Networks – Qualitative perspective -

Four layers model:

• Physical The physical space and infrastructure. Where the interactions take place?

• Organizational The agent’s structuring of the space & Interactions. How do agents organize themselves?

• Emotional The agents feelings and affiliations to one another. How do agents relate to each other?

• Cultural The agent’s mind maps of intentions, values, spirit, etc.What meaning do agents make of their interactions?

Is it Social ‘Fractal’ ?

Community recovery Applications

1. Multi dimensional approach to interventions / interactions.

2. “Purposed emerging” - how to increase the agents fitness. To have intention toward common attractor, at recovery networks.

3. New practices of ‘Network sensemaking’.

General Applications

1.Multi dimensional network analyzing.

2.Understanding social fractals; attractors; emergent properties

3.New social intervention practices.

4. Promoting social / organizational, change

תודה

Thanks

Shay Ben Yosefשי בן יוסף Navigating Complexityניווט במורכבות

Shayby1@gmail.com 972-54-2112383

Social Networks - Quantitative perspective

• No. of nodes/ agents.• No of interactions / connections• Patterns of emergence / system dynamics• Patterns of interactions (active / passive )• Networks Space / Limits.• Networks scale.

• The next step is to understand the complexity beyond the structure and typology. Networks are just the skeleton.

The challenge is To focus on the process along the interactions of social Network… The real dynamic interactions between people…

• (Barabasi, The new science of Networks pp 293)

• ..\לימודים\מורכבות\רשתות חברתיות

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Four layers model:• Physical

• Organizational

• Emotional

• Cultural