Communication and Power in Collaborative Networks: The Hypothesis of Technology as Confidence Enhancer

Abstract : Since the eighties of the 20th century that the social and organizational sciences are interested in networks as organizational configuration and the identification of the dimensions that determine or influence the effectiveness of their performance, their adaptability and resilience. Communication and power are two of these core dimensions, because they strongly influence the degree of trust latent in the network, and trust is the key ingredient of human systems optimization. Very often a third, as neutral perceived party, plays a determinant role in the systematic negotiation process, which is inherent to collaborative networks [10] dynamics. We argue that computer platforms, perceived as a neutral and transparency enhancer device, may play an important role as trust promoter, namely in strong uncertainty avoidance contexts.