Destabilizing Networks

Authors: Kathleen M.Carley, Ju Sung Lee, and David Krackhardt

The world we live in is a complex socio-technical system. Although social, organizational, and policy analysts have long recognized that groups, organizations, institutions, and the societies they are embedded are complex systems; it is only recently that we have had the tools for systematically thinking about, representing, modelling and analyzing these systems. These tools include multi-agent computer models and the body of statistical tools and measures in social networks.

This paper uses social network analysis and multi-agent models to discuss how to destabilize networks. In addition, we illustrate the potential difficulty in destabilizing networks that are at large, distributed, and composed of individuals linked on a number of socio-demographic dimensions. The specific results herein are generated, and our ability to think through such systems in enhanced, by using a multi-agent network approach to complex systems. Such an illustration is particularly salient in light of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

Other papers authored by Dr. David Krackhardt