THE EMERGING DISCIPLINE OF

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THE EMERGING DISCIPLINE OF COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS
Luis M. Camarinha-Matos - Hamideh
Afsarmanesh New University of Lisbon
University of Amsterdam Portugal
The Netherlands cam_at_uninova
.pt hamideh_at_science.uva.
nl
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MANIFESTATIONS
Collaborative networked organization
Business ecosystem
Breeding environment
E-Business
Virtual lab
Virtual organization
Professional virtual community
Virtual enterprise
Virtual team
Virtual community
Extended enterprise
Community of practice
Supply chain
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GOING NET-COLLABORATIVE
And... ? ... And ... ?
How shall I behave in a CNO?
What do you mean by VO ?
What do I benefit from it ?
How do I measure it?
Can I establish my VO in 1 day?
PVC
VO
So, is this simply a management issue?
Extended Enterprise
?
Business Ecosystem
Which tools do I need?
VE
SCM
?
Where can I buy them?
What about my life maintenance?
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EMERGENCE OF NEW DISCIPLINES
Collaborative Networks
NEW DISCIPLINES
Enterprise Engineering
Manufacturing / Industrial Automation
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A NEW DISCIPLINE
Characteristics of a discipline

• The establishment of a scientific discipline for
  collaborative networks is a strong instrument to
• consolidate and synthesize the existing
  knowledge
• set a sound foundation for the future
  research and development in this area

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FOCUS OF STUDY
Collaborative Networks (CN)
Collaborative Networked Organizations (CNO)
Virtual Laboratory (VL)
Virtual Organization (VO)
Virtual Enterprise (VE)
Professional Virtual Community (PVC)
Extended
Enterprise
CNO Breeding Environment
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FOCUS OF STUDY ...
Virtual Organization / Virtual enterprise
Breeding Environment
Agile shop floor
Professional Virtual Community
E-Science / Virtual Labs
. Mix network people-organizations . Access to
remote equipment
. Dynamic cells of manufacturing resources
. Temporary network . Goal oriented consortium
. Network of people . ...
. Long term association . Ready to collaborate
Collaborative Networks
. Networks of autonomous organizations, people,
resources, or mixed . Common goals to be achieved
by collaboration . Agreed principles of operation
and interoperable infrastructures
A discipline of collaborative networks shall
focus on the structure, behavior, and evolving
dynamics of networks of autonomous entities that
collaborate to better achieve common or
compatible goals
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A NEW PARADIGM
Pre-paradigmatic phase - the collaborative
networks phenomenon is being described and
interpreted in many different ways, depending on
the background of the researcher

• Established sciences and paradigms tend to
  resist the introduction of another new
  paradigm
• A multi-disciplinary phenomena, where multiple
  traditional disciplines / branches of
  organized knowledge and professionals compete
  to claim and master the new area

E.g. Attempts by established branches to use /
extend their definition and behavior of the
single enterprise paradigm to explain the
collaborative networks
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A NEW PARADIGM ...

• The existing enterprise-centric models and their
  extensions fall short of capturing the key facets
  and specificities intrinsic in networked
  organizations
• Instead of focusing on the internal specificities
  and tight interconnections among the internal
  components of an enterprise, the focus in CN must
  be directed to
• the external interactions among autonomous (and
  heterogeneous) entities (e.g.
  interoperability mechanisms and tools, etc.),
• the roles of those entities (e.g.
  coordinator, member, cluster-manager, broker,
  etc.),
• the main components that define the proper
  interaction among entities (e.g. common
  ontologies, contracts, DBP, distributed
  multi-tasking, collaborative language,
  etc.),
• the value systems that regulate the evolution of
  the collaborative association (e.g.
  collaborative performance records, etc.), and
• the emerging collective behavior (e.g. trust,
  teamwork, etc.), among others.

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A NEW PARADIGM ...

• A new scientific discipline emerges once the
  following is achieved
• the new paradigm is adjusted to cover the various
  manifestations of the emerging collaborative
  forms
• the consolidated set of basic knowledge is
  organized
• the various multi-disciplinary researchers
  involved in this work start to identify
  themselves as members of this new community,
  rather than doing research on collaborative
  networks while staying as members of their
  original communities and disciplines

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REFERENCE DISCIPLINES
Developments in CNs have benefited from
contributions of multiple disciplines computer
science, computer engineering, communications and
networking, management, economy, social sciences,
law and ethics, etc.
Benchmarking
Decision Support
Distributed Group Dynamics
Diversity in Work Teams
Dynamic Ontologies
Knowledge Mapping
Complexity Theories
Memetics
Metaphors
Game Theory
MA Dependence Theory
Federated Systems
Multi-Agent Systems
ML / Bayesian Networks
Social Network Analysis
Network Analysis
Formal Engineering Methods
Soft Computing
Portfolio Theory
Formal Theories
Real Options Theory
Trust Building Models
Scopos Theory
Graph Theory
Web Text Mining
Synergetics
Self-organizing Systems
Temporal Modal Logic
Transaction Costs Theory
Semiotics
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REFERENCE DISCIPLINES ...
UNDERSTANDING
Complexity theories
Synergetics
Scopos theory
Distributed groups dynamics
Game theory
Self-organizing systems
Emerging CNs
Portfolio theory
Trust building models
Memetics
Real options theory
Diversity in work teams
Dynamic ontologies
Bench-marking
Social Network Analysis
ML / Bayesian Networks
Text web mining
Semiotics
Decision support
MA Dependence theory
Transaction costs theory
Network Analysis
Metaphors
MAS
Federated systems
Graph theory
Soft computing
Formal theories
Temporal modal logic
Knowledge mapping
Traditional CNs
Formal Engineering Methods
CONSOLIDATING
Informal
Formal
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REFERENCE DISCIPLINES ...
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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES
An ordered set of principles and practices form
the foundation of a discipline
A large number of RD projects have contributed
to this foundation
ATHENA ECOLEAD INTEROP TrustCOM VEportal ...
6th Framework Program
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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES ...
The main phases of the life cycle of a CN are
intuitively understood and the main required
support functionalities are being identified.
It is nowadays a widely accepted principle that
the effective establishment of dynamic VOs
requires an underlying breeding environment (or
cluster network)
Examples Virtuelle Fabrik (CH, DE) VIC - Virtual
Industry Cluster (MX) VIRFERBRAS (BR) CEFAMOL
Associação Nacional da Indústria de Moldes
(PT) Silicon Valley Network (US) Regional
Networks for Ontario (CA) Yorkshire Humber
Regional Networks (UK) Veneto Regional Network
(IT) Regional Tourism Network / Victoria (AU) ...
Basis for dynamic VO creation
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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES ...
In spite of the ad-hoc and fragmented nature of
the many RD projects on CN, a growing set of
principles and practices has been collected in
many projects and pilot applications
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RESEARCH AGENDA
A scientific discipline of Collaborative Networks
is characterized by the existence of an active
research agenda where many fundamental questions
are being tackled and studied

• Active research agenda
• It stands the test of time
• It is complex, and substantial enough to be
  subdivided into different research directions
• Multiple fundamental questions/approaches are
  raised and formulated to guide the research in
  the area

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EXAMPLE OF RESEARCH AGENDA VOmap
VOmap aimed at identifying and characterizing the
key research challenges needed to fulfill the
vision, required constituency, and the
implementation model for a comprehensive European
initiative on dynamic collaborative virtual
organizations.
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VOmap ...
Training courses / seminars and improvement
Trials
Basic research
Trials
Basic research
Br. deployment improvement
Trials
Basic research
Formal Models and TheoriesFocus Area
Trials
Basic research
Trials
Basic research
Other examples COCONET, IDEAS, Companion,
CE-NET, Assembly Net, Semantic Grid, ...
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THINKcreative AGENDA
Socio-Organizational Challenges
ICT Needs
Grid Wireless Pervasive computing
New business ethics morality
Transparent Easy to use Plug play
Multi-agent Systems potential
Educational system encouraging entre- preneurship
Collaborative knowledge networks behavior
Technology independence
Life maintenance institutions
Infrastructures for collaboration
Web technologies potential
New planning controlling methods
Reference models
Creative economy entre- preneurship
Network performance system
Managing creative tension network cohesion
Technical semantic interoperability
New organizational design
Foundations and Modeling
Modeling social aspects
Sound theoretical foundation
Interoperability of modeling tools
Semiotics normative spaces
MAS Complexity Self-organizing Graph theory Game
theory Ontology
Soft modeling
Emerging behavior
CNOs as a scientific discipline
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ECOLEAD AGENDA

• A holistic approach combining
• Breeding environments
• Management of (dynamic) VOs
• Professional Virtual Communities
• Horizontal Infrastructures for collaboration
• Theoretical foundation
• towards the establishment of collaborative
  networks as a new scientific discipline

European Collaborative Organizations LEADership
Initiative
Creating necessary foundations and mechanisms for
establishing an advanced collaborative and
network-based industry society in Europe
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ECOLEAD AGENDA
5 focus areas 19 technical sub-projects 1306
persons-month 3 years (April 04 March 07) 20
partners from 14 countries
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EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONALISM
Education
Various universities already offer courses on VE
/ VO
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EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONALISM ...
Education ...
Examples of short courses
Example of covered topics
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EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONALISM ...
Scientific Associations gt important role as
facilitators and promoters of collaboration
among professionals involved in a specific
discipline

• IFIP WG 5.5 COVE
• CO-operation infrastructure for Virtual
  Enterprises and electronic business
• ESoCEnet - European Society of Concurrent
  Enterprising Network
• New association on CN ?

• Conferences
• PRO-VE, since 1999
• ICE
• I3E, SAINT, etc ...

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EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONALISM ...
Journals Scientific journals represent the most
traditional channel to publish mature results in
any scientific field
Special issues on VE/VO - J. Intelligent
Manufacturing - Computers in Industry -
Int. J. Computer Integrated Manufacturing - ...
Another possibility - IJ of Networking and
Virtual Organizations
The lack of a scientific journal for
collaborative networks represents a major
difficulty for the CN community gt SCI
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CONCLUSIONS
A growing number of collaborative-networked
organization forms are emerging as a result of
the advances in the ICT, the market and societal
needs, and the progress achieved in a large
number of international projects The
accumulated body of empiric knowledge and the
size of the involved research community provide
the important pre-conditions for the foundation
of a new scientific discipline of collaborative
networks The organization of the CN discipline
is likely to have a boosting effect in the
development and consolidation of the area, both
in terms of research, and practical
implantation CNs are already recognized in the
society as a very important instrument for
survival of organizations in a period of
turbulent socio-economic changes Collaborative
Networks represent a strong socio-economic
movement Seizing the opportunity to structure
this area as a new scientific discipline is a
major challenge for the associated research
community
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ECOLEAD IMPACTS
Industry
Science
Improved performance involvement of SMEs in
collaborative networks
New models of self-organizing collaborative
networks
Theoretical foundation
Sound Decision-making and assessment
Basis for advanced tools
Recognition as discipline
New models of business ecosystems
New metrics value systems
New knowledge skills and aptitudes regarding
competence management
New metrics and value systems
New models of synergy among BE, VO, and PVC
Improved competitiveness
Support networks of SMEs
Basis for business exploitation of PVCs
ECOLEAD Impacts
New frameworks for collaborative PVC
New collaborative problem solving methods
New technology development opportunities
Increased sustainable regional business
ecosystems
Better support from industry associations to VOs
Basis for plug-and-do-business
New concepts, principles and reference
architectures for horizontal infrastructures
Guidance for new institutions to support
collaboration
Basis for new collaborative applications
Sound framework for knowledge workers / e-lancers
Generic models for VO operation assessment New
ways of work
Better structured approaches for collaborative
communities
Greater availability of connectivity potential
Better education on modeling formalisms
Wider collaboration among organizations
Society