ABSTRACT
Networks are similar to the pathways and roads that develop over time in any community, whereas channels are closer to the well-planned and generally accepted routes. Networks can occur spontaneously. Channels usually are prescribed and restricted. Networks are the observed patterns of organization manifested through communication. Channels are organizationally sanctioned and are utilized to structure the flow of information, messages, and possibly meaning. Networks permeate organizations, connecting the vast array of internal and external systems and subsystems ranging from our colleagues to customers to resources. The central importance of networks has increased as a response to multiple changes occurring internally and externally. Highly networked organizations operate well in fast-paced or chaotic environments because they receive extensive information and knowledge from their surroundings. Networks are the systems of interactions, both formalized and informalized, which are used in an organization and between organizations. A network is a web of freestanding participants linked or connected by one or more shared values.
