From Field Diary to Graph Database: Data Collection and Processing of Informal Networks

This study presents an innovative analytical approach to ethnographic data on food provision in a nursing home, focusing on the interplay of formal structures and informal social dynamics between professional groups through an analysis of reasons to communicate. Data were collected over ten months through participant observation, semi-structured individual and group interviews in a municipal nursing home in Vienna (Austria). These qualitative data were visualized through social network analysis using Neo4j software, which contained 52 entities and 242 relationships in 30 communication reasons. The analysis highlighted the complexity of communication structures required to accomplish food-related tasks, with certain communication reasons, such as ‘recurring food orders’, revealing distinct patterns of interaction between departments and occupational groups. These insights revealed how professional groups collaborate within and between departments to deal with the daily tasks that underpin meal provision. This methodological approach provides new insights into institutional interactions, taking into account the importance of tacit knowledge and informal practices in shaping the food supply alongside formal processes. By using social network analysis as an innovative research tool, this study advances our understanding of organisational dynamics in healthcare, particularly in German-speaking countries.