MODULE 2
Understanding Local Networks
Overview:
The individual is largely shaped and influenced by those surrounding him, starting off with his or
her local network. This module will define what a local network is and elaborate on its importance. It will
also tackle the relationship of the individual to his or her local network, looking into how the former
benefits from the latter. Finally, we will discuss issues and debates involving the relationship between
the local network and the individual.
Module Objectives:
After completing this module, the participants are expected to:
Examine how the map of social networks can be used to introduce creative solutions to
a particular problem in a community
Understand the definition and key components of strategic analysis and strategic thinking
Be able to apply strategic analysis and intuitive thinking in issues and concerning one’s
community.
Module Topics:
What Are Local Networks?
The Local Network and the Individual
Funds of Knowledge
Strategic Analysis and Intuitive Thinking
Pre-assessment
List down some of the institutions in your community, including a short description of how you
benefit from them.
Institution Benefits
School Provided me education and enabled me to
foster friendships
Church
Boost my spiritual being and allows
me to give back to the community.
Barangay Hall Helps the community to function as
one and settle controversies
Health Center Provides free healthcare service and
maintain healthier community.
Businesses Suffice the people’s needs as well as the
community’s economical needs.
Discussion
Reading 1: What Are Local Networks?
A relationship between two persons is the most fundamental building block of
society
*Eriksen, 2010). These relationships create local networks. Much of the social knoweldeg
is obtained through studies of social networks. It is important to note in the individual’s location
the analysis of a local network. According to anthropologist John Barnes, networks often
have definite delineations and no clear internal organization because any individual
may be considered a center of a network. To concretize the discussion of local network,
we need to define the different types of relationships that exist within a local network. To
understand the concept of local networks, and individual must first interact with his or her
community. Once communication stops, relationship and membership of an individual within a
given network of a network ceases. It is said that a network is a person-dependent kind of social
system, which is reproduced through our continued interaction with our group (Eriksen,
2010). Hence, no community or network is created without social interaction.
In examining a local network, we need to look into the kinds of relationships that operate
within a given community. We can start by analyzing how these relationships relate to our status
in particular group. For example, as a member of a family, we have social duties and roles to do.
Our performance of our duties as a member of the family enriches our relationship with
other family members.
Our relationship within our family network allows us to learn values, behaviors,
and tradition that become part of our character and world views. What we learn from our family
is extended to other kinships and friends and is modified in the process of socialization within a
wider set of social relationships. Take a look at the following diagram from concretized
illustrations of a local network.
global networks
state
barangay/village
household/famil
y
Shown in the diagram are the four levels of social system:
household/family, barangay/village, country, and global networks. Local network subsumes
social interaction within family and barangay. Although, the illustration suggests that country
and global networks are found outside local network, it is important to note that national or global
issues are mirrored in the community. National or global policies are created in response
to the social issues happening within local networks. We need to observe rules and policies of
both local community and the larger society to fulfill our duties and responsibilities as its
members. Additionally, our social roles also need to operate within the frames of cultural
norms. The diagram also illustrated that every social person is consciously and unconsciously
made by interacting among the interdependent layers of social systems.
Reading 2: The Local Network and the Individual
The local network can be observed in the dynamic sets of relationships in the barangay.
The individual performs diverse and overlapping social roles that both meet personal and
societal goals. Our capacity to respond to the different issues in the communities is not isolated
from the various social identities we create and we perform. In this situation, the family is a good
source of capital where the community can draw support and participation. It is also in this unit
where most dyadic and personal interactions occur. This implies that the challenges and
opportunities of a local network are dependent on the kinds of relationships that exist within a
family and the community.
Since poverty is a social issue, it calls for a collective response. Those who are most
affected are the ones who need to enlightened and transformed because the effects of social
issues are usually felt and experienced in the smallest unit of the society. Thus, critical
and analytical response to these issues should come from local networks. It is important to
consider that collective response includes existing forms of knowledge that reside in the social
practices of community members. This means that response should be contextualized
based on the existing resources, household practices, and community knowledge. In
the case study, community members are called to participate collectively in developing
alternatives and solutions to the issue from what they already know and have.
Community members need to demonstrate understanding of the social conditions that
affect them; through their concerted efforts, they must use their own capacities and funds of
knowledge to counter social issues.
Reading 3: Funds of Knowledge
The barangay’s response to the problem was informed by funds of knowledge. Funds of
knowledge refer to the body of community knowledge that emerges organically from
lives, routines, experiences, practices, and strategies of community people. At its heart,
funds of knowledge affirm that relationships matter: relationships between households,
between community leaders and community members, and between community
institutions and community people. The concept shows that relationships are not only
formed between two persons, but are also drawn from power, influence, experience, and
interest of those community people who create knowledge (Gonzales, 2011). Knowledge
has a place of production-(Bennagen, 2015) for it is generated from a specific geographical
location with its own histories and cultures. For example, indigenous knowledge of raising
children in the Philippines involves our unique child-caring practices (pagmamano, respect for
elders, and performing rituals) tied to our family-oriented value system. Nevertheless,
knowledge is susceptible to change due to cultural integration and social interaction.
Achieving inclusive development is the goal of every community. However,
contemporary local networks face the challenge of maintaining its identity while responding to
external demands. Powerful social forces such as market, media, education, fashion, and
entertainment are susceptible to global trends and changes. While a local network interacts with
global networks, reconstructing its identity in the process, it should also empower its knowledge
system and local resources during the process. Simply put, it ought to respond globally while
also empowering its local connections. Following these assumptions, Maria Luisa
Canieso- Doronila describes development as: (1) placing people at the center of
development; (2) developing their creative and powerful potential so that they can participate
meaningfully in the entire development process; and (3) recognizing that social development
must start with how people themselves respond to the forces that either constraint or
encourage social transformation.
Cultural integration and community exposures to external environment present
opportunities for the integration of traditional and modern knowledge. Innovations can
help improve crop production but indigenous knowledge can preserve cultural identity. Adapting
to economic shift should focus on improvement, not on eradicating traditional knowledge.
In modern times, agricultural and industrial communities are adopting and adapting to social and
economic trends. Through different forms of social media and communication channels,
our networks are activated. New dynamics and patterns of communicating are enhanced
and reproduced in order to improve our response to social issues. Modern ways of
connecting
allows us to build global linkages that broaden local networks’ connections and soruces
of capital. Local networks do not operate independently of bigger networks. The
connections between local networks and larger networks were illustrated when Typhoon
Yolanda hit the Philippines in 2013. Connections and communications from local to
international communities were facilitated through digital media. Information regarding the
needs of those affected, including local and international aide, was easily disseminated – this
made it possible for local and international groups to respond and act immediately. This
dynamics of relationship between local networks and larger social networks describes what a
network society is.
Reading 4: Strategic Analysis and Intuitive Thinking
One important consideration in making decision is its effects to our relationship
with others and to our personal development. Since human behavior is the product of the
decision one makes, it is fundamental to understand the processes and elements involved in
decision- making. There are two systems one can employ in making decisions: strategic
analysis and intuitive thinking.
Strategic Analysis
Strategic analysis refers to system of method that requires deliberate, abstract,
and effortful thinking that breaks down a complex problem into parts. Deliberate thinking
employs a detailed examination of a problem to come up with a solution. This involves
looking at the context of the problem. Generally, strategic analysis deals with abstract problems
that are big and complex and require paring down into several components to facilitate focused
analysis of the problem. The amount of time and resources are the primary factors in strategic
analysis. The most common strategic analysis model used in decision-making follows five
steps as illustrated in the diagram below.
1. Identify the
problem
5. Reflect on 2. Analyze the
the outcomes problem
4. Implement 3. Generate a
the solution solution
Identify – involves defining the problem and the factors or conditions involved in
the situation
Analyze – examining the variables that will change the state of the situation, including the
potential challenges and its causes
Generate – setting practical, reasonable, and creative criteria and strategies to solve the
problem
Implement – execution of the plan
Assess and reflect on the outcome – draw lessons that will guide you next time
Strengths and Limitations of Strategic Analysis
Strategic analysis is effectively used in dealing with complex problems. By breaking a
problem down into fragments, one can examine an issue in a more detailed fashion. By doing
this, an abstract can be concretized and dealt with logically. This process engages a person to
observe rational thought processes. Rational thinking skills are often taught and learned through
formal means. Akin to learning how to solve a mathematical problem, one has to use certain
formulas and procedures to arrive at the solution. The biggest challenges in using
strategic analysis as an approach to decision-making are the availability of resources and time
constraint. The thought process is slow since it requires a thorough and careful investigation of
factors that will help the investigator to analyze the problem. External and internal factors
have to be
considered. After all, one does not always have the luxury of time when making
decisions, especially when pertaining to matters that are of immediate concern.
Intuitive Thinking
Another approach to decision-making is intuitive thinking. This kind of thinking is
experiential in nature, meaning that it requires collective experiences and deep knowledge in
analyzing an providing a solution to a given problem. Understanding the social
environment allows the person to develop sensitivity, awareness of the surrounding, and pattern
recognition
– all of which enable an automatic response to like events and occurrences. The response is
also mediate by one’s feelings or cultural reactions to events. Particular norms and
value systems within a community are considered when making decisions. For example, fisher
folks know that the best time to catch fish is from early sundown until dark as the waters cool
and fish rise up from the depths. This social practice depicts the use of intuitive thinking based
on their accumulated experiences of marine ecosystem in the community.
In dealing with everyday life issues and situations, we are called to make
immediate decisions based on ‘gut’ feelings and prior knowledge and experiences. This type of
decision- making is evident in various situations: a doctor assessing an emergency case;
a teacher determining the reason for a child’s inattentiveness in class; a buyer examining which
vegetable to buy; and a firefighter trying to rescue a fire victim. In these cases, one would not
hesitate or delay making decisions because these situations need immediate action. This type of
decision- making is evident in various situations: a person is expected to draw insights from his
or her stored knowledge and everyday routines and practices.
The training of hunches is much neglected and an essential feature of productive
thinking not only in formal academic disciplines but also in everyday life. In local terms, intuitive
thinking is described as kutob. The notion of kutob reflects one’s instinctive feeling associated to
a particular event. In making immediate decisions, we draw strategies and information from our
experiences and life events.
Strengths and Limitations of Intuitive Thinking
This system of decision-making is best used when a person is immersed in his or her
field of expertise. This way, the individual can easily generate information from personal
and social experiences. Intuitive thinking is learned through grounded social interactions,
which usually occur in informal encounters. These encounters are unstructured and take place
outside classroom settings. Given this, decisions are made quickly and with ease using
intuitive thinking. On the one hand, when a person has limited experience and knowledge in the
area where he or she needs to make a decision, there is a tendency to make mistakes and
errors.
On the other hand, when an individual is overfamiliar with his or her own field, he or she may
end up ignoring new information that may still be relevant to decision-making.
Comparison between Strategic Analysis and Intuitive Thinking
Both systems are relevant in dealing with life issues. However, we need to determine
when and how to use these decision-making methods in a particular situation.
Analytical Intuitive
Slow thinking Fast thinking
Effortful Automatic and always on
Follows certain procedures and models Dynamic
Mathematical, relies on facts Poor in statistics and probability
Linear Non-linear
Detailed Whole
Focused and deliberate Big picture
Abstract Experienced-based
Rational Gut feel
Usually (but not always) taught in school Usually (but not always) learned outside
the classroom setting
Inductive Deductive
Future-oriented Stored knowledge
Pattern matching
Assessment
Community Map. Draw a map of your community and the establishment surrounding it. Mark
which establishments cater to which concern with the following color coding.
Blue – economical
Red – political
Yellow – cultural
Green – kinship/social
