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474 Glossary

the use of previously-used material in the same or different process. Organizational reuse aims
to make additional use of standard parts or components such as reusable code, designs, archi-
tectures, test cases, templates, references, and other valuable knowledge-based components.
Reward An act performed to strengthen approved behavior. Act or give compensation in rec-
ognition of someone ’ s behavior or actions to reinforce good behavior. Money or anything else
of value usually given in exchange for a good or service.

Rite Relatively elaborate, dramatic, planned sets of activities that consolidates various forms of
cultural expressions into one event, which is carried out through social interactions, usually for
the benefi t of an audience.

Ritual A standardized, detailed set of techniques and behaviors that manage anxieties but
seldom produce intended consequences of practical importance.
Semantic networks Cognitive models that illustrate associations among elements. A semantic
network is a graph structure in which nodes (or vertices) represent concepts, while the arcs
between these nodes represent relations among concepts. From this perspective, concepts
have no meaning in isolation, and only exhibit meaning when viewed relative to the other
concepts to which they are connected by relational arcs. In semantic networks, structure is
everything.
Social capital The value created when a community or society collaborates and cooperates
(through such mechanisms as networks) to achieve mutual benefi ts. The value of social networks
that people can draw on to solve common problems. The benefi ts of social capital fl ow from the
trust, reciprocity, information, and cooperation associated with social networks.
Social constructivism Emphasizes the importance of culture and context in understanding what
occurs in society and constructing knowledge based on this understanding. Social constructivists
believe that reality is constructed through human activity and that knowledge is also a human
product that has been socially and culturally constructed. Learning is a social process in which
individuals create meaning through their interactions with each other and with the environment
they live in.

Social network analysis The mapping and measuring of relationships and fl ows between people,
groups, organizations, computers, or other information/knowledge processing entities.
Social presence The degree to which an individual perceives he or she is communicating with
another human being using a given medium. The degree to which the other participant is judged
to be a “ real ” person. The extent to which one feels he or she is communicating with another
person and not with a technological medium.
Sociogram A diagram that shows interaction patterns between people; for instance, a diagram
with a node to represent each individual and lines drawn between individuals to indicate that
they interact frequently. These diagrams can be used to study work fl ows, the clustering of groups,
communication needs, and ineffi ciencies in work processes.