Practical Research on the Construction of Social Network among the Members of the Alumni Association

本研究以一所女子大学校友会为研究对象，进行实证研究。对校友会成员进行了问卷调查，对校友会管理人员包括会长、副会长、地方分会负责人、（三）在协会总部进行的一次参与性研究，重点关注协会主页的修改过程，并根据社会网络的变化模式，总结了这些深入研究的结果在二战后的日本。介绍了四种网络模式：1.封闭同构网络，2.封闭异构网络，3.开放同构网络，4.开放异构网络。在这50年里，传统的在一个小的局部区域内的同质的人的强封闭的关系（类型1）已经被新的模式2和3所取代。日本社会是如何形成开放异质网络（类型4）的？日本的许多校友会，特别是传统女子学校的校友会，都有着成员间网络模式变化的趋势。少数年长的同质成员长期管理协会。但本研究结果显示，若能改变管理观念，接受年轻世代可能感兴趣或提议的多元承诺与活动，传统校友会网络将能改变其网络型态，并能在各方面支援其终身活动。而这种变化将激活协会本身，我们可以提供的一种新的管理方法是通过主页和电子邮件系统的通信设计。这种设计可以在不同世代的成员之间建立活跃的网络。

In this research, we had studied an alumni association of women's university empirically. We did (1)survey research of the members of alumni association, (2)interview research of the management staff of association including president and vice-presidents, heads of the local branches, (3)participant research in the head office of the association focusing the process of revising the home pages of the association.We had summarized the findings of these intensive researches on the basis of the changing patterns of social network in Japan after the World War II. We introduced four types of network pattern: 1.closed-homogeneous network, 2.closed-heterogeneous network, 3.open-homogeneous network, 4.open-heterogeneous network. The traditional strong closed ties of the homogeneous people in a small local area (type 1) had been replaced by the new pattern of 2 and 3 in these fifty years. What is now in question is how Japanese society could create the open-heterogeneous networks (type 4).Many Japanese alumni associations, especially those of traditional women's school, have the same trend of changing pattern of networks among members. Small number of elder homogeneous members had been managing the associations for long time. As a result, many new members of younger generation lost their interest in the activities of alumni association.But our findings suggest that if they change the concept of management and accept the heterogeneous commitments and activities which younger generation could interest and/or propose, the traditional network of alumni association could change their network pattern and be able to support the members in various aspects of their life-long activities. And this change would activate the associations themselves.One practical method for the new management we could offer is the communication devise through home page and E-mail system. This devise could create active networks among members of different generations.