Networks

A network, in its most literal sense, refers to the interconnected set of people or organizations connected through social relationships. The functionality of networks is that they can be utilized to facilitate the sharing or leveraging of information, [Page 531]resources, or capital, or to coordinate activities or actions that can advance a certain group’s practice-related goal. Networks can be emergent, such as those of friendship or interest-based networks, or they can be designed, such as networks of science institutions coordinating to provide complementary programming. They can also be present at the personal, individual level and at the organizational or institutional level. This entry further discusses the purpose of networks and relationships among network members. It then discusses the benefits of network participation, the types of ...