Although networks are associated with rapid flows of information important to both disseminating knowledge and generating innovation, authors including Boltanski & Chiappello, Perrow, and Whitford & Schrank noted the challenges associated with governing “loosely coupled” organizations (in Perrow’s language) and/or the network form of organization that has come to the fore in many contemporary organizational fields. Such challenges seemed strikinglypresent in Lakoff’s account of efforts to effectively maintain cooperation among national governments, and within the international network of ‘sentinel’ devices designed to identify and address potential pandemics. In your answer: (a) Explain what you see as the two main specific challenges associated with maintaining the global ‘preparedness’ network, specifying why they are major challenges; (b) Explain how those challenges are similar to or different from the common kinds of network failures or organizational weaknesses described in Perrow’s, and in Whitford & Schrank’s discussions of “loosely coupled” systems and “network failures”, respectively. (c) Finally, concisely explain whether you believe the main difficulties you described could be effectively redressed through altering governance tactics in the global pandemic network. Be specific in explaining why/why not there are likely potentials for network remediation of the challenges you identified in part (a). Bonus Question 3: Innovation Networks in the Classroom? At the beginning of section III of the course, multiple authors asserted that networks were central to innovation. In no more than half a page (you can go over the 6 page limit if you decide to answer this question), explain whether or not you think the ‘network model’ could be effectively applied to senior level courses at SMU as a mechanism to foster more innovative ideas among students. Give at least one main reason why the lessons for innovative production would/would not apply to advanced undergraduate education.
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