Abstract

Networks and networking tend to be regarded as beneficial for individuals and organizations. However, embeddedness in networking efforts can be counterproductive and bring unexpected negative consequences - networking failures. Many studies have been concentrated on technical breakdowns in addressing networking failures. They paid little attention to other factors or mechanisms. This technical-oriented approach hinders system managers from foreseeing the formation and changes of a system, particularly a public system, in due course. This article employs a deductive approach to study the facade of networking and its failures. By proposing a network typology, it scrutinizes the fundamental building blocks of any networks and standard functionalities, explores the laws governing any networks' operations, and traces the possible dysfunctions of networks in static and dynamic environments. Based on the explorations, this research introduces a new tool. It argues that by borrowing the principles embedded in the Doctrine of the Mean, it could help prevent disaster seeds from growing in a functional network.

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