ByYann Gourvennec (and with Jérôme Delacroix's contribution for the chapter describing WIKIS)

INFORMAL NETWORKS AND MANAGEMENT

Little by little, informal networks are becoming mainstream. Ubiquitous Internet access is also making networking more important every day (or is it the other way round?). So much so that hierarchies are trying to make the most of that post-modern social phenomenon. Beyond our ever increasing fascination for informal networks, one may still rightfully wonder whether networking is something new or a fad or even something which always existed and is key to human beings living in congregations.