Previous methods for determining the communication structure of organizations work well for small or simple organizations, but are either inadequate or unwieldy for use with large complex organizations. An improved method uses a number of different measures and a series of successive approximations to order the communication matrix such that…

Network Analysis is an observational system focusing on the relationships of individuals within a system--their subgroups, their leaders, and the frequency of their communications. The strength of relationships can be measured by examining the incidence and duration of intercommunications. Using data accumulated by questioning each member of the…

Previous attempts to describe the "structure" of social systems have failed either because of the researcher's presuppositions about the system or because of his inability to deal with the massive amounts of data that a human system necessarily generates. Recent advances in computer software, Network Analysis Program (NEGOPY). have made…

Of the many intellectual models available for conceptualizing the communication process, one of the most appropriate is cybernetics. The logical and empirical requirements of a cybernetic model of communication are presented. Based upon a review of relevant findings in the social science literature, these requirements are utilized to create a…