Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis

Lugang Yu; Jinbo Song; Guanying Huang; Dezhi Li

doi:10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38

Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis

Lugang Yu
, Jinbo Song
, Guanying Huang
, Dezhi Li^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Research output: Chapters, Conference Papers, Creative and Literary Works › RGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (with host publication) › peer-review

Abstract

In the context of the persistent growth of wastewater scale, traditional management methods, which focus separately on social organization or technical processes, struggle to achieve seamless collaboration between social personnel and technical equipment. Plagued by issues such as low technical integration, unsmooth emergency instructions, and backward cross-departmental technical collaboration, wastewater treatment suffers from inefficiency. Adopting a socio-technical network perspective, this study aims to dissect the formation mechanism of the wastewater treatment network (WWTN) and explore how social personnel and technical equipment interact with each other. Based on the Multilayer Exponential Random Graph Models (MERGMs), 21 hypotheses from intra-layer and cross-layer structural effects, individual attribute effects, and exogenous dynamic effects are proposed and verified with a typical WWTN in Nanjing as an example. The results show that 10 formation mechanisms, including the intra-layer transfer effect and the cross-layer centrality effect, are verified. On this basis, specific management suggestions are put forward to improve the WWTN’s performance. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference
Subtitle of host publication	CEAC 2025, March 28–31, Tokyo, Japan
Editors	Marco Casini
Place of Publication	Singapore
Publisher	Springer
Pages	429-440
Volume	2
ISBN (Electronic)	978-981-92-1816-5
ISBN (Print)	9789819218158, 978-981-92-1818-9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38
Publication status	Published - 2026
Event	5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference (CEAC 2025) - Tokyo, Japan Duration: 28 Mar 2025 → 31 Mar 2025 https://www.ceac.net/ceac2025.html

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Volume	883
ISSN (Print)	2366-2557
ISSN (Electronic)	2366-2565

Conference

Conference	5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference (CEAC 2025)
Place	Japan
City	Tokyo
Period	28/03/25 → 31/03/25
Internet address	https://www.ceac.net/ceac2025.html

Funding

This study was supported by the Major Program of National Fund of Philosophy and Social Science of China [No. 22&ZD068].

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

Research Keywords

Formation mechanism
Management implication
MERGMs
Socio-technical network
Wastewater management

Access Output

10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38

Other Access Options

Check CityUHK Library

Permanent Link

Right click to copy link

Cite this

Yu, L., Song, J., Huang, G., & Li, D. (2026). Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis. In M. Casini (Ed.), Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference: CEAC 2025, March 28–31, Tokyo, Japan (Vol. 2, pp. 429-440). (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering; Vol. 883). Springer . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38

Yu, Lugang ; Song, Jinbo ; Huang, Guanying et al. / Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment : A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis. Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference: CEAC 2025, March 28–31, Tokyo, Japan. editor / Marco Casini. Vol. 2 Singapore : Springer , 2026. pp. 429-440 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering).

@inproceedings{bf895fc118f8453cafb46cf46b6dd449,

title = "Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis",

abstract = "In the context of the persistent growth of wastewater scale, traditional management methods, which focus separately on social organization or technical processes, struggle to achieve seamless collaboration between social personnel and technical equipment. Plagued by issues such as low technical integration, unsmooth emergency instructions, and backward cross-departmental technical collaboration, wastewater treatment suffers from inefficiency. Adopting a socio-technical network perspective, this study aims to dissect the formation mechanism of the wastewater treatment network (WWTN) and explore how social personnel and technical equipment interact with each other. Based on the Multilayer Exponential Random Graph Models (MERGMs), 21 hypotheses from intra-layer and cross-layer structural effects, individual attribute effects, and exogenous dynamic effects are proposed and verified with a typical WWTN in Nanjing as an example. The results show that 10 formation mechanisms, including the intra-layer transfer effect and the cross-layer centrality effect, are verified. On this basis, specific management suggestions are put forward to improve the WWTN{\textquoteright}s performance. {\textcopyright} The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.",

keywords = "Formation mechanism, Management implication, MERGMs, Socio-technical network, Wastewater management",

author = "Lugang Yu and Jinbo Song and Guanying Huang and Dezhi Li",

year = "2026",

doi = "10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5\_38",

language = "English",

isbn = "9789819218158",

volume = "2",

series = "Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering",

publisher = "Springer ",

pages = "429--440",

editor = "Casini, \{Marco \}",

booktitle = "Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference",

note = "5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference (CEAC 2025) ; Conference date: 28-03-2025 Through 31-03-2025",

url = "https://www.ceac.net/ceac2025.html",

}

Yu, L, Song, J, Huang, G & Li, D 2026, Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis. in M Casini (ed.), Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference: CEAC 2025, March 28–31, Tokyo, Japan. vol. 2, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol. 883, Springer , Singapore, pp. 429-440, 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference (CEAC 2025), Tokyo, Japan, 28/03/25. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38

Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis. / Yu, Lugang; Song, Jinbo; Huang, Guanying et al.
Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference: CEAC 2025, March 28–31, Tokyo, Japan. ed. / Marco Casini. Vol. 2 Singapore: Springer , 2026. p. 429-440 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering; Vol. 883).

Research output: Chapters, Conference Papers, Creative and Literary Works › RGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (with host publication) › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment

T2 - 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference (CEAC 2025)

AU - Yu, Lugang

AU - Song, Jinbo

AU - Huang, Guanying

AU - Li, Dezhi

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - In the context of the persistent growth of wastewater scale, traditional management methods, which focus separately on social organization or technical processes, struggle to achieve seamless collaboration between social personnel and technical equipment. Plagued by issues such as low technical integration, unsmooth emergency instructions, and backward cross-departmental technical collaboration, wastewater treatment suffers from inefficiency. Adopting a socio-technical network perspective, this study aims to dissect the formation mechanism of the wastewater treatment network (WWTN) and explore how social personnel and technical equipment interact with each other. Based on the Multilayer Exponential Random Graph Models (MERGMs), 21 hypotheses from intra-layer and cross-layer structural effects, individual attribute effects, and exogenous dynamic effects are proposed and verified with a typical WWTN in Nanjing as an example. The results show that 10 formation mechanisms, including the intra-layer transfer effect and the cross-layer centrality effect, are verified. On this basis, specific management suggestions are put forward to improve the WWTN’s performance. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.

AB - In the context of the persistent growth of wastewater scale, traditional management methods, which focus separately on social organization or technical processes, struggle to achieve seamless collaboration between social personnel and technical equipment. Plagued by issues such as low technical integration, unsmooth emergency instructions, and backward cross-departmental technical collaboration, wastewater treatment suffers from inefficiency. Adopting a socio-technical network perspective, this study aims to dissect the formation mechanism of the wastewater treatment network (WWTN) and explore how social personnel and technical equipment interact with each other. Based on the Multilayer Exponential Random Graph Models (MERGMs), 21 hypotheses from intra-layer and cross-layer structural effects, individual attribute effects, and exogenous dynamic effects are proposed and verified with a typical WWTN in Nanjing as an example. The results show that 10 formation mechanisms, including the intra-layer transfer effect and the cross-layer centrality effect, are verified. On this basis, specific management suggestions are put forward to improve the WWTN’s performance. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.

KW - Formation mechanism

KW - Management implication

KW - MERGMs

KW - Socio-technical network

KW - Wastewater management

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105043968257

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105043968257#tab=impact

U2 - 10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38

DO - 10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38

M3 - RGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (with host publication)

SN - 9789819218158

SN - 978-981-92-1818-9

VL - 2

T3 - Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering

SP - 429

EP - 440

BT - Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference

A2 - Casini, Marco

PB - Springer

CY - Singapore

Y2 - 28 March 2025 through 31 March 2025

ER -

Yu L, Song J, Huang G, Li D. Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis. In Casini M, editor, Proceedings of the 5th International Civil Engineering and Architecture Conference: CEAC 2025, March 28–31, Tokyo, Japan. Vol. 2. Singapore: Springer . 2026. p. 429-440. (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering). Epub 2026 Jul 2. doi: 10.1007/978-981-92-1816-5_38

Implications for Strengthening Socio-Technical Collaboration in Wastewater Treatment: A Socio-Technical Network-Based Analysis

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Funding

UN SDGs

Research Keywords

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

Cite this