Managing the Complexity of Forming an Online Networking Community:
A Researcher's Perspective

by
Dale Vaillancourt, Ph.D.

Paper presented at the 9th Midwest Qualitative Research Conference,
June18-20, 2003. University of St. Thomas. St. Thomas, Minneapolis.
(Please do not quote without the expressed permission of the author.)

Abstract

To improve an existing organization, chaos theory suggests that leaders focus on important local conditions. To create a virtual organization, this researcher offers that investigators similarly take the lead and initially decide what local conditions are important. It is also suggested that they have the capacity to manage and to respond to the anticipated complexity of other involved leaders' demands. This paper describes the initial approach that this researcher used to operationalize her doctoral case study of forming an online networking community with 21 female entrepreneurs. She decided and pursued select initial conditions and used a data analysis software called ATLAS.tiTM ( (n.d.) throughout her applied ethnography to perceptually transform dynamic participant activities into an ordered picture. The intent of the paper is to show that by using management and database competence to complement dynamic entrepreneurial activity, we can extend our research capacity and learn how to venture into new organizational areas.

Our very concept of leadership is taking on new meaning and has emerged as a top priority for all Canadian organizations. It is truly time to recognize this challenge, and understand its full implications for all organizations and our nation, as a whole. This means building awareness of the context in which leaders operate, as well as how leadership expectations are being transformed. (Conference Board of Canada, n.d.)

Chaos Theory

Chaos theory as explained by Wheatley (1994) and Petree (n.d.), as well as the sociological explanations by Wellman (2002) demonstrate that organizational order and progress can emerge from leaders attending to important local conditions. As in Figure 1, when we have secured the necessary optimum conditions (X) and follow the recommended changes of a particular model (Change1, Change2, Changeⁿ), we can predict and attain a long-term successful result (Y).

Model for Successful Change

Implementing Model's Recommended Changes

Figure 1. Optimum model conditions X and by implementing recommended Change1+Change2+ Changeⁿ realizes successful Y results. X (Change1+ Change2+ Changeⁿ) = Y

Prescriptive models help us understand what important conditions are necessary for the production of identical or similar organizations. This holds true for forming online educational communities for which an organizational model has been proven and all stakeholders are committed to the prescribed change (Talking Heads, n.d.). The purpose of the current research was to describe the processes and events that led a group of women entrepreneurs to form an online networking community.

Definition of the Problem

A problem arises when determining what is important when a model or the optimum conditions do not exist. Additionally, how do we focus on priority or changing conditions when the world appears so complex? I will argue that by deciding the conditions we initially want to include and by simplifying the operation of how we will work with entrepreneurial demands and perspectives, we can better manage the complexity, effect small changes, and reach desired results.

Researcher Background

As a corporate project manager, trainer, and facilitator, I had managed several novel projects, some of which introduced me to individuals who, like my participants, were initially reluctant and for various reasons. I attribute the successful management of the current study to applying my management skills in a creative way so that I could simplify and effectively operate within a new emerging research climate. Some problems I anticipated, while others I did not. But aided by a broad database of conflict resolution experience, I was able, with the participants, to settle issues that arose.

Results

Participants

Sixteen of the participants were members of an existing association specifically created to help the networking of women entrepreneurs. To belong to the existing association, owners had to be generating annual revenues of $250,000.00 or more. At the invitation of one participant and with the research group's consensus, five additional non-members were allowed to join the study. The majority had been self-employed for six or more years. Three had been self-employed for less than three years, one of whom had been a professional networker and was articling to be a lawyer, five were in the 3-5 year category, six in the 6-10 year category, six in the 11-20 year category and one was in the more than 30 year category.

In terms of ages, the highest distribution for the 21 participants was between 31-40 and 41-50 years old. Eight were 31- 40, eight were 41-50, four were 51-60, and one was between 61-70 years old. Of the participants in this present study, just under a third had a university degree. One had a community college diploma, nine had high school education, five had 1-4 years of university and six had more than 4 years of university. Sixteen were in the service industry, one was planning to be in the service industry, and four were in the retail side of self-employment. All but one had no employees.

The distribution of computer proficiency levels was even as there were eight Novices, seven Intermediates and six Advanced participants. A summary of the users and the functions they could or could not perform is provided in Table 1.

In summary, although all were business owners, they brought a broad range of experiences, knowledge, and computer skill levels. They also represented various interests and services or product offerings. Just as corporate colleagues often have full schedules, so did the participants. Similarly, the entrepreneurs had a variety of business agendas, goals, intentions, and ways of working, creating a case replete with anticipated emerging dynamic circumstances.

Table 1.
Participants' Computer Proficiency Levels

Note. All participants had Internet access but their Computer Proficiency Level varied.

Initial Planning

Bodgan & Biklen (1992) suggest that at the beginning of the project, researchers address practical matters of convenience, accessibility, and interest. One of the first steps in my plan was to gain access to a group of potential participants that I thought I would be compatible with. Wells (1994) suggests that women entrepreneurs are self-directed, self-motivated people who enjoy helping their colleagues learn, a type of coalition that Senge (1991) would call a learning organization. I had enjoyed working with women entrepreneurs before and looked forward to the possibility of working with them again. Compatible values and access were initial conditions that I decided from a managerial perspective to use as a measure for achieving organizational success.

Critical Development of Rapport

Consultants (Block, 1981; Schein, 1988) and researchers (Bodgan & Biklen, 1992; Mann & Stewart, 2000; Seidman, 1991) contend that developing rapport with clients and participants is also a critical first step for achieving long-term success. The initial perceptions people have of us will impact our later interpersonal relationships. Similarly, Karakowsky's (2002) discussion on managers and entrepreneurs, suggests that at the helm of many successful organizations is a person with leadership skills. A leader can develop positive interpersonal relationships and often manages through the use of objectives, attainable goals, motivational practices, feedback, or contingencies. Leaders who can manage local contingencies has also been well discussed by Leithwood, Jantzi, and Steinbach (2000).

Initial Reluctance

The initial set of responses by the women entrepreneurs to my proposed research indicated more reluctance than I had anticipated and a defensiveness that I did not expect. Table 2 summarizes the comments from eight (8) initial contacts:

Table 2.
Initial Response to Exploring an Online Network

Potential Participant	Response
Caller 1	Time. I don't know how I can help you.
Caller 2	I'm a small firm. Don't need large network. Have computer problems.
Demonstration 3	Time. My brothers know all this stuff and tell me what to read
Caller 4	Not enough time
Demonstration 5	Apologize, but am too busy.
Caller 6	This is web-based and not MAC based. I don't have time.
Caller 7	I can't tell what you want from this last handout at the last session!
Caller 8	I look forward to being part of this research.

Note. Of the first eight association members who were contacted, most expressed reluctance to the study.

Because of the widespread reluctance, I decided to develop rapport. The following excerpt from my thesis indicates that the use of dialogue (Senge, 1991; Vaillancourt, 1999) or non-judgmental communication developed rapport and surfaced our compatibility:

I decided to use dialogue to communicate the intent of my research, how the online network might relate to the participants' priorities, and to convey information that would allow them to make a more informed choice about participating. The use of dialogue was effective. Each woman with whom I spoke over the telephone at least came to talk to me about the online network. . . . I posed questions about a topic of assumed mutual interest that helped create rapport and re-introduced that what I was proposing might have some advantages for the caller. I was also honest about the state of my research indicating what I did or did not know at the time. The callers came to speak to me in a more open way:

Caller 7: I can't tell what you want from this last handout at the last session! What will participating in this research do for me!?

Dv: [I wondered if I should get mad or stay cool. I stayed cool and in fact after I explained the purpose of the database, asked why she mentored other entrepreneurs]

Caller 7: . . .That's right, that's why I mentor. Others may have a different point of view. . . . [further discussion of database's communication potential] Well I'm all for that. If it [online network] can help me communicate better, I'm for it. Vaillancourt, 2002, p. 66

In summary, initial efforts in approaching potential participants about forming an online networking community involved developing a criteria of access and compatibility for an initial set of optimum conditions. Using dialogue to establish rapport helped obtain those conditions.

Emergent Applied Ethnographic Approach

To sustain those positive conditions, I also decided to assume a more active role as an applied ethnographer (Chambers, 2000, Vaillancourt, 2002). Applied ethnography is a gradual negotiated practice of the researcher and the research participants learning about each other's cultural assumptions so that obstacles to a new or existing community of practice can be defined and addressed. In contrast to the conventional ethnography which creates a thick description of what is studied (Geertz, 1973), applied ethnography uses thick description and the sharing of assumptions to support interaction, learning, and problem-solving between two dissimilar cultures (Chambers, 2000, Vaillancourt, 2002).

All user levels continued to express various reluctance themes for exploring the online network, which would eventually be identified as a risk to professional image. For example, one participant told me nine months into the case study that another had initially been lurking due to a perceived lacked of computer knowledge and was "afraid of being discovered." The next most often type of reluctance was that the online network was not considered a priority. Most users expressed that they had little time available for exploring the online network. The Intermediate users expressed having lack of trust in me. For example at one point during a small introductory face-to-face group meeting at my home, an Intermediate remarked: "I thought you said no one else had access to this database?" I explained the role of my supervisor and a technical support person for the school. She also questioned the flaming that happens on listservs and I said that she had a choice to state openly her dislike online. She thought that was a good answer and said, "Oh yea, I guess that's right". Over time, trust was revealed to be a concern for all the owners and related to managing a business in general. That the online network lacked relevance to what they did and that it lacked privacy was expressed by the majority of the Intermediates and the Advanced and some Novices. The Novices expressed a perceived lack in their own computer skills.

From fieldnote observations of a few participants, I developed a list of functions for a Novice, Intermediate , and Advanced computer user. It was useful to determine the participants' computer proficiency levels at the beginning of the project for I could later provide technical support for them on demand. Establishing ways of collecting and learning about our different capacities helped me manage the project.

Operationalizing Entrepreneurial Demands through ATLAS.tiTM( (n.d.)

Because the skillsets of entrepreneurs are different from managers, one of the most frequent problems that small business owners have is management-related (Statistics Canada, 1997). In contrast to entrepreneurs who can create new organizations, managers have skills related to strategic and general management that maintain the smooth operation of an existing firm (Karakowsky, 2002).

As a management tool, ATLAS.ti™ (n.d.) was useful because the software did not force a pre-determined fixed set of hierarchical data analysis codes. There were options for developing free-flowing codes, appropriate for an emergent research design such as this one. In addition, the resulting codes could be visually displayed to the side of my data set (text document), making it easier to gain a sense of how they were forming in relation to the data. See Figure 2.

The query tools of ATLAS.tiTM (n.d.) also made it easier for me to search throughout the data for patterns and themes that I could use as both an ethnographer and as a project manager. Rather than cognitively work in a complex environment of entrepreneurial schedules, diverse learning styles, and across different communication mediums, I used ATLAS.tiTM (n.d.) to help me transform the picture and perceive it as a manageable linear progression. One day might have been different from the previous, but the data input was standardized enough that I could more easily recognize and respond to what was emerging.

The Analytic Toolkit associated with the online network also helped me track frequency counts of online note contributions and I could again see patterns of activity over time. Figure 3 demonstrates a graph of participant activity for the duration of the project. Four patterns should be highlighted about their participation.

Figure 2. Sample of codes listed to the right of the data set

First, unlike attendance at a conventional course, participation by this group of working women entrepreneurs was irregular. Of the 21, 16 would use the network from when they first volunteered for the research until the end of the research project but inconsistently from one week to the next. One participant was absent for two months and another was absent for nine months. There were times when a core group of seven participants also temporarily reduced their participation but were more prone to acknowledge their reasons in our online network. Of five who discontinued participating, three came back to request that the online network be re-established. Those who discontinued participating either temporarily or permanently were not asked for an explanation. Due to a trust factor that had been built up, I became aware of personal and business matters in confidence that became urgent matters.

Second and in general, the number of notes would increase when the group and I decided to try a new use of the online network or when I facilitated a discussion. On two occasions the participation rate decreased when I made the online request too complex and tried to engage in a debate about a topic. Third, the exploration rate gradually increased over time and the women entrepreneurs came to promote the use of the online network. Fourth, in terms of online notes contributed, the total number was 674. The participants contributed 424 and I contributed 250. The most note contributions for a particular activity centered on what was called a Speaker Series between Day 250 and Day 300. Individuals took responsibility for moderating their own online session for an elected number of days.

By creating opportunities for participants to freely express their concerns, activity interests, and strengths as entrepreneurs and by giving myself the opportunity to express my concerns and activities as a manager, our iterative patterns of practice started to coalesce. I could interact with the participants on individual dynamic levels while managing the project at a whole ordered level. Figure 4 depicts the transformation of the data into a manageable ordered picture through ATLAS.tiTM (n.d.) and the Analytic Toolkit.

In summary, the participants and I accepted various roles and responsibilities that produced matters that required resolutions. I used ATLAS.tiTM (n.d.) and the Analytic Toolkit to transform the dynamic activities and demands of the entrepreneurial participants, as well as my own, into a picture of ordered activity. The management of the project helped me break through its complexity and provide appropriate responses to our emerging issues and conditions..

Partnering Managerial and Entrepreneurial Skills

Although difficult, partnering the skills of a manager and an entrepreneur helps an organization form and sustain itself (Karakowsky, 2002). While managers organize, entrepreneurs recognize opportunity, create organizations, are innovative, high achievers, and risk-takers who do not want to fail (Karakowsky, 2002). Along with the necessary skills to create a new business, entrepreneurs have a desire for challenge, a tolerance for ambiguity, and perceive themselves to have internal locus of control (Karakowsky, 2002).

For the present study, when the lack of participation or the slow development of an online networking community was identified, it could also be addressed. Through various comments and queries, the entrepreneurs requested an organizational vision from me, commonly used in entrepreneurial firm start-up phases. Although I did not initially see it necessary, after sharing my personal vision online, we started to integrate our collective skills and advance the study. The participants viewed the online networking community as an entrepreneurial venture and were willing to help make it successful. With proven managerial and feedback skills that they found valuable, I could also provide a necessary complement to the formation. As one participant stated:

I think you have a fascinating thesis and am helping to put this group together. Why they are changing as you say may have many reasons but perhaps you are part of the reason. . . . It’s up to you to find out through this thesis. If I can help out in any way, I will. I think what you are doing is great and I mean that anything I can do even if I’m busy.

Leadership
The key functions that Karakowsky (2002) identifies for a transformational leader involve developing rapport, articulating a vision, encouraging ideas to solve problems, and initiating actions as appropriate. Complementary to this process is forming a strategic plan to build consensus, motivation, future directions, and organizational agility.

The transformational leader goes beyond management by communicating a vision and inspiring employees to strive for that vision. S/he commits people to action, and converts followers into leaders. The creation of a strategic vision (substantive role) and its communications (symbolic role) are paramount in managing change. Transformational leaders instill feelings of confidence, admiration and commitment in their followers by performing a number of key functions. p. 220

Through gradual participant progress and by being able to witness what they could achieve, I was encouraged to keep trying to find answers. By being capable of demonstrating ways in which I believed in our collective strengths and potential, the participants also accepted the challenge.

When given a credible vision, the participants were willing to begin the formation as an online networking community. Here is the response to one participant's challenge as to whether I was a catalyst or observer and led to increased participation in the online network (Vaillancourt, 2002, p. 125):

I took some time to answer these questions [Ryn had more than one] because they are important to me. They relate to almost everything I value and I reply yes to all except one. Especially good probe to ask me whether I want to be an observer or a catalyst. What happens is that I use my skills as an observer to be a catalyst and end up being both.

… . I just wanted to have a convenient place where people could feel free to stretch their minds, a kind of classroom where people could try ideas out without anyone getting hurt. I felt that it was possible and had seen it in various stages of evolution

I also liked what I saw women entrepreneurs doing. They work, think, imagine and they do, independently and collaboratively. . . .Why not create a useful computerized learning environment with smart women entrepreneurs? But . . . It takes an attitude and an ability to see beyond the immediate situation. It takes smart individuals who will persist until they can perform the transactions and meet good minds on the other side. Meg is one such person and so are you and so are all others who try this database. I have great love for seeing people learn and believe in what women entrepreneurs can and are doing. I think we can show ourselves how it can be better.

Multiple Roles

When the leader assumes many roles and does not appear congruent, the system can self-organize or dissolve itself (Wheatley, 1994). Common to all my roles as manager, database administrator, trainer, and facilitator, I was a translator. I conveyed observations and understandings that I found interesting and provided support in areas that I felt would appropriately help participant development and the research situations. By being able to problem-solve emerging issues and conflicts with the participants such as occurred through the vision incident, our system self-organized. The response to my disclosure was positive for it was followed by many more participant notes, participation, and ideas. For example, so that I might better understand their views, the participants spoke with me about what the term networking meant to them and introduced me to various situations and people within their networks.

Creative use of grounded theory

For this research, grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin, 1998) was used in a creative way by emerging and grounding concepts both during and after the data collection phase. Strauss and Corbin (1998) encourage the use of creativity. Data was used to emerge descriptive codes and concepts and to further ground the concepts through member checks as participants experienced them. By using this approach, participants and I did not have to depend on recalling details or impressions after many months had gone by. For example, participant pattern of non-activity emerged for me. I asked a participant during a telephone call if and why she thought there was a lack of online interaction and three days later asked the same question of the participants in our online network.

Analytic toolkit

I obtained usage counts from the Analytic Toolkit and triangulated the resulting graphical charts and the summaries obtained through my axial coding process. Subtle changes or actions that I offered to the participants were ones that seemed advantageous for them as individuals and for our working environment. For example, to decide how we might use the online network, I held small informal group meetings at their convenience in my home. When I noticed reluctance about how we might use the network, I disclosed my personal experiences with the software to promote an open response, instead of using a more formal nominal group technique. As chaos theory explains, small changes can create an unanticipated but positive impact for the long-term and on a bigger scale (Wheatley, 1994). Evidence was their ever increasing number of online notes and eventual acceptance to take responsibility for their own online speaker's series. New solutions found relevant by the group and by me, were developed, negotiated, and tried. Through one informal focus group, the participants disclosed that as isolated business owners, they valued but could not obtain personal feedback. As I had previously done as a manager for my staff and with being more knowledgeable from studying the Adult Education theories in graduate school, I was able to respond to these leaders' feedback requests.

Conclusions

Selecting the Work Environment We Value

This research helped a particular socioeconomic group mediate a gradual cultural change within a select complex dynamic. It is useful to decide and bring together what is possible and seek to potentially create advantages for everyone. It is also useful when the management and entrepreneurial leadership skills that are used in the research work are complemented by the simplifying affordances of the technology.

Initial decisions, organization, planning, and by being able to manage emerging conditions lays the groundwork for forming an online networking community. With managerial leadership, a collective will experience the compatibility and strengths of its collective resources and a new organizational structure and model can proceed to evolve.

Managing the Complexity

The complexity of every situation and new condition is such that we cannot hold all of them in our minds. As ATLAS.tiTM (n.d.) helps track the data, we can better suggest small changes and use the responses of the participants to indicate levels of success. Through the roles that we have the capacity to assume, we can manage with more ease.

Continued Research

We need to be more aware of the traits that leaders and technology can offer to the mix so that we can further discover what is possible. I suggest we continue to explore the potential impacts of partnering entrepreneurs and managers for developing and forming new sociotechnological organizations. Given our chaotic environments and lack of models for new ones, deciding optimum initial conditions and being prepared to initiate and simplify the management of subsequent changes with others holds much promise.

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