Abstract
The chapter presents a blockmodeling analysis of multilevel (inter-individual and inter-organizational) networks. Several approaches are presented and used to blockmodel such networks. Each blockmodel represents a system of roles (White HC, Boorman SA, Breiger RL, Am J Sociol 81:730–780, 1976) and therefore a form of division of work that is likely to change over time in fields of organized collective action. Using a case study, we show that while the systems of roles are quite similar at both levels (core-periphery-like structures with bridging cores interpreted in terms of division of work between actors’ and organizations’ specialties, location, status, etc.), the roles are performed by units with different characteristics at different levels. The added value of this true multilevel analysis is to show how groups at different levels are connected. In the empirical case analyzed in the chapter, the division of work at the level of individuals and the division of work at the level of laboratories can complement and strengthen each other for some segments of the population, while this reinforcement does not work for other segments. For the same roles, the mix of specialties at one level is different from the mix of specialties at the other level, notably because the two levels do not manage the same resources. Thus, this analysis tracks the meeting of top-down and bottom-up pressures towards structural alignment between levels.
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Notes
- 1.
For a more general version of the described approaches see Žiberna (2014).
- 2.
See Žiberna (2014) (including footnotes) for needed modifications in the case of other types of two-mode networks.
- 3.
Since single-relational networks are represented by matrices, the multi-relational networks are represented by multiway matrices as used by Borgatti and Everett (1992).
- 4.
We do not imply that firms can (never) access resources through employees’ (personal) networks.
- 5.
We could use different levels as a “base” level, that is the level to which other levels are reshaped. The partitions obtained using different base levels might then slightly differ when reshaped to the same level, especially if in the two-mode network units from both sets of nodes can have many ties (to nodes of the other set).
- 6.
Which is usually treated as a multirelational network.
- 7.
The same network was analyzed using a pre-specified approach assuming cohesive groups structure within each level in the example section of the paper presenting blockmodeling of multilevel networks (Žiberna 2014).
- 8.
We thank David Lazega for creating this variable.
- 9.
The Fish/Pond status also takes into account the size of the laboratories (in addition to the multilevel network).
- 10.
With perhaps less stringent demands in terms of densities. For related issues, see Lazega et al. (2011).
- 11.
Conversion of the network of researchers to the laboratories’ “space” is also possible, although more complex.
- 12.
Even these similarities would be deemed very low by Steinley (2004); however he used these indices with a different purpose.
- 13.
We use activity to refer to the outgoing ties, so the more active units are those having more outgoing ties.
- 14.
We use “recognized” since the direction of ties on the laboratories level is more an indication of who recognized the tie than of the pure direction of ties (“actions”).
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Acknowledgements
Section “Multilevel Blockmodeling” and pars of section “Analysis of a Multilevel Network of Cancer Researchers in France” are a modified version of parts from Žiberna (2014, pp. 48–51). Reprinted from Social Networks, Vol 39, Aleš Žiberna, “Blockmodeling of Multilevel Networks,” 46–61, Copyright (2014), with permission from Elsevier.
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Žiberna, A., Lazega, E. (2016). Role Sets and Division of Work at Two Levels of Collective Agency: The Case of Blockmodeling a Multilevel (Inter-individual and Inter-organizational) Network. In: Lazega, E., Snijders, T. (eds) Multilevel Network Analysis for the Social Sciences. Methodos Series, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24520-1_8
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