Networking Theory: Old Ways New Ways

I wrote this in the mid-1980's when I was doing some researching on Networks. It was before I got into computer teleconferencing. I think it applies both to the teleconferencing and BBS's of the early 90s as well as the Eternal Mail Art Network which I thought I was writing about at the time.



Alot of this was rewritten and paraphrased "research" I got from another magazine. Yes I changed it but when I find it I will give them credit where due. I have the original somewhere. I seem to recall this also appeared in a Vittore Baroni mail art publication of some kind in Italy.

Introduction

There is a choice that we each must make. It is a choice between an Old Way, which is very familiar to us; and a New Way, which is not as familiar, but of which we are also aware. The Old Way is set up according to a hierarchy, with a president, or some other leader, sitting at the top of a heap, with those below him subservient. The individual lies at the bottom of this heap, buried by the system and everybody in it. In fact, in this Old Way of working, the system itself is thg most important thing. "We The People" the system was created to serve are secondary not only to those near the top of the heap, but to the system itself.

A New Way, called Networking, puts every individual at the center of their own system, which is created to serve that individual alone, freeing them to give or take according to their own needs. The Networking Way is really not new at all. There have always been networks. A person's individual friends and contacts are, in effect, their Network. What is new, however, is that many people all over the world are recognizing networking as an alternative way of doing things that gets results. Many of these people are in touch with each other, thus networks grow together, becoming stronger.

Networks are more effective than the bureucratic, hierarchical systems that have dominated the world since "democracy" was taken up as a battlecry to thwart the rule of kings and monarchs. Democracy soon turned into another kind of tyrranny with the individual subservient to the bureaucracy itself. So networking has sprung up as a useful replacement for any kind of officialdom at all. In other words, networking is for individuals and individuals only- there is no need for an authority in a networking system, hence- true "democracy."

Though networks are non-bureacratic, they still offer an effective and useful organizational structure. Each person is at the center of his or her own network. Because networks are polycentric and not monocentric, it is like a hydra with many heads. Meanwhile, bureaucracies die, leaving new ones struggling to take their place.

To those who need to defend bureaucracy, networks are perceived as a conspiracy, if they exist at all. Those of us who use networks recognize them as a functional necessity for our new global society. We live in an information environment now. Those who process information most efficiently will survive. Until recently, corporations and governments had a monopoly on information. What we are witnessing for the first time in history, is that individuals working together in a networking system are gaining control of information. We are weaving patterns in an attempt to decentralize, de-bureaucratize and therefore, rehumanize the planet.

One interesting paradox of all this is that networking seems to work according to the same ideals that free enterprise is based on, but have long since been forgotten. Indeed, capitalism itself has been usurped by the suffocating effects of bureaucracy. Self-interest transformed into personally satisfying mutuality is an idea whose time has come- again!

Malthus convinced us some time ago that the resources of the world are limited. Whether you accept this or not, the fact remains that you have what other people want and other people have what you want. Each person is a creative individual, possessing unlimited resourses and capable of making their own decisions. While the hierarchy desperately tries to hang on, the rest of us are waking up to the fact that we may have something better to offer the world than our potential as simple laborers. We have the ability to transform the world and re-see our society as a supra-national unity that cuts across socio-economic boundaries, regardless of gender, age and ethnicity.

The world has a potential to provide fruit for everyone, but it requires great care and responsibility to keep the garden growing. We must learn that when we weave our patterns through the network, we must do so responsibly. The Global Network is a tool that we must use carefully in order to be effective. It is not a status symbol or something to flaunt. It is a necessity that we must jointly nurture.

How Do Networks Work?

The Old Way consisted of towers of bureaucracy, ready to fall at any moment. The keys to networking are not in these vertically- constructed hierarchies, but rather in a vast web that spreads itself across the planet. It is a thin veil of organization that gets its strength from its horizontal linkages, the inner-connectivity of its members. At the center of your network is you, and concentric rings reach out to the ends of the planet, linking you to all the other individual networks. You may not know Person C, but you are connected with Person B and B is connected to C. Thus, we find that it is, indeed, a small world. Ancestry or social status are not the criteria for playing this game. There are a multitude of criteria, in fact, which make the relationships of a networking system more complex than that of the hierarchy. The leader of one group is a member of another. Members of a group are permitted to be from different backgrounds, and differences of opinion are encouraged, not suppressed.

In fact, it is this complex nature of connections in networking that make it interesting (and functional). The bonds that bring people together might not necessarily be in only one area. There may be a number of connective tissues. Unlike the Old Way, Networking views the individual as the complex person that he or she is, not a faceless, numbered servant of the system. As mentioned above, participants of a network needn't agree. It is possible to shift alliances within the network at will. While allegiance to the system is critical in a hierarchy, getting things done is the key to a network. Relationships tend to be sociable rather than official in nature. The atmosphere is flexible, less regimented. Thus the boundaries and responsibilities of members is more fluid. There is a more unconstrained character to the activities of a network, as opposed to the dogmatic rules of the Old Way.

Participants relate to each other as equals, rather than in terms of status. This seems to promote the flow of information. Status symbols obstruct the flow of ideas, so the absence of concepts like "subordinate" and "boss" keep the focus on pertinent information and away from the superfluous. People can come and go as they please, there are no rules, no superstars, just courtesy among equals. The most important quality of the network as opposed to the Old Way is is that somehow diversity is preserved, not destroyed. Each member of a network is above all, the leader of his own private network, insuring individuality. The whole concept of leadership is different in a network system. There is no single, paramount leader. New leaders pop out of nowhere as needs arise individually and collectively. Leaders can influence decisions, but do not make them alone for an entire group. In this way, decisions can be made, even by people who do not agree on other issues. Differences of opinion are not frowned upon, they are simply recognized as one element of a truly "democratic" situation. Those that do not share certain assumptions are not prohibited from interacting. Pertinent information, not individuals, rule the network system.

How do networks manifest themselves?

The most appealing quality of networking is that it is flexible, adaptible to change. We all know that change is fundamental to life, but few bureaucracies acknowledge this. Thus, the entire network ebbs and flows with each microcosmic bit of activity. Failure is minimized by this ability of the network to assimilate change. The cross links inherent in the network structure insure that what is failure to one part of the network is useful to another. Thus failure is "absorbed." While the addition of one new member can increase the inner-connectivity a thousand-fold, people can drop out of a network with little effect. The connections that their presence created will survive.

The process can be tailored to fit the character of the network and its goals. People can use the network how they want and when they want. This asynchronous nature of networking is one of the tangible ways in which the individual can exercize his or her own individuality when it comes to work methods. Participantsy, but geographically. The more diverse the networking community, the wider the resourcres and vice versa. As the networking concept grows, networks combine. In turn, those combine to form super-networks. It is conceivable that a network could exist someday (perhaps it already exists) that would include everyone in the world. At any rate, established networks can't help but combine with new ones with individuals remaining the key to bridging the gaps. As the networks grow, so do the options available to the participants.

Why networking?

Networks are useful to those who choose to use them and therefore require no explanation. The activity is its own justification. Nevertheless, some reasons people get involved in networking? To disiminate news and data; to connect those with a need for information with those that have the required resources; to exchange information; to bring together diverse people with similar concerns or interests; to bring together similar people with diverse interests; to define shared problems; to arrive at inter- organizational cooperation; to avoid dependence on big business and/ or institutions; to mobilize unused resourses; to generate innovation; to exchange ideas; to work together on projects; to receive feedback; to exchange opinions; to unite for a common goal; to learn or to teach; to search for compromise; to gain a concensus or majority; to find commitment; to improve decisions; or simply to relieve boredom.

Everyone wants to make rational decisions about what will facilitate their own needs and wants, and networking allows the freedom to do this. Suddenly we find ourselves in control of our own destiny, not manipulated by powerful hierarchies that are insenstive to human needs. Are there oppressive powers in a network system? Coalitions between sub-groups of the network prevent control by any one faction, thus the power-hungry are easily avoided. Self- sustaining segments in opposition prevent takeover of the nftwork by any one group.

When does networking work (best)?

The networking idea is adaptable to change. People are often here today gone tomorrow. A process-oriented system is needed that can absorb that kind of constant evolution. Networks work best when people don't take things as literally, leaving room for interpretation and negotiation; when people are sensitive to timing and intuition; when people think clearly and listen carefully; when people try to be useful, contributing as much as they take from the network; when people increase the connections in the network, bringing people together. There is potency in numbers. A "more the merrier" attitude is essential in a system where more possibilities means greater effectiveness. Each participant must bring their own complex web of connections with them to the network. Each member must build the strength of the network by making the fabric stronger, not by tearing it down through petty jealousies and fears. A multi-faceted, unselfish approach works better than tunnelvision. People who are knowledgeable about their communities and other resourses; people who want to learn or teach; people who accept the unpredictable influence of and consequences of chance; people who aren't afraid to take risks; people who are looking to fulfill personal goals first and career and academic goals second: all these people are welcome and needed in a network.

A networker chooses the road less traveled, the avenue that is not safe, not soothing, not comfortable. We must be willing to be more didactic, to have opinions and make our own moral observations. We must learn to trust our own opinions while not being a slave to them. We must be willing to be more than a reflection of the state, the corporation, the media. We must be willing to point to a higher reality- truth- and transcend the petty world of the Old Way- the hierarchy- that creates a dehumanizing gap between the truth and our daily lives for the sake of the hierarchy itself. We must rejuvenate our passion and our motivation and reject the manufactured needs of the corporate structure that attempts to sell us temporary happiness for the price of whatever they happen to be selling. In short we must regain control over our own lives. We must reclaim our lost wholeness. We can do this by meeting our own needs directly, through networking.

Everyone has skills and knowledge to share. Get in a position where others know what your skills and knowledge (as well as your needs) are. Chances are there is someone who wants to barter with you. The astounding thing is that in an an age when apathy is king and selfishness is the status quo, millions of people are more than willing to share. The trend toward networking is is a vote of confidence by individuals for a better way than the Old Way. An Old Way that increasingly ignores commitmment to human and social values and seems to foster alienation and escapism.

The world must be saved from suicide and the only way that this can happen is through the courage, audacity, regeneration and commitment of individuals, not faceless hierarchies. We must insist on the human need to do what we want, when we want, without hurting others and without dependence on consumerism or ethnicity. We must re-take the human sphere. Networking is the way to do it. The networking concept is not limited to any gender, age group, or nationality. It cuts across socio-economic boundaries. Networking is applicable everywhere, to anyone. You can be from a small village or a major metropolis. You can live in the East or the West or the Third World. All that is necessary is an understanding of your own needs, an honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, and an interest in a New Way.