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Page 1
A Brief Introduction to Managing Social Networks at Work
Page 2Source: Bearman et. al. 2004
Small Worlds and The Oracle of Kevin Bacon
Craig, Brian, and Turtle, boozey undergrads at Allbright College, in PA: Is Kevin Bacon at the center of the Hollywood universe (about 800,000 actors)?
Kevin Bacon at center of Hollywood?
Bacon number: 2.946Connery number: 2.731
Steiger, Rod: 2.67Lee, Christopher: 2.68
Sutherland, Donald: 2.70
http://www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle/
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
S1S2
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
Series1
Series2
bacon number # of actors
0 1
1 1806
2 145024
3 395126
4 95497
5 7451
6 933
7 106
8 13
Small WorldsIn a highly clustered, ordered network, a single random connection will create a shortcut that lowers L dramatically
Page 6
What does the network (really) look like?
“Even the most psychologically shrewd managers lack critical information about how employees spend their day, and how they feel about peers.
Managers simply cannot be everywhere at once, nor can they read minds. So they’re left to draw conclusions based on superficial observations” (Krackhardt & Hansen, 1993)
Page 11
Example # 3Relative positions of Supervisors and Non-supervisors in Emergent
Communication Network at a high-tech firm
Source: Ajay Mehra, LINKS Center
Formal Reporting Relations in an Italian Company
Source: Dr. Patrizia Vecchi
Source: Dr. Patrizia Vecchi
Emergent Trust Relations in an Italian Company
Why Informal Networks are Important
• Much of the real work happens through the informal chart.
• De-layered organizations: Back to the sandbox.• Informal networks can help or hinder• Formal and informal networks should work in
sync.• Formal structure Routine problem solving• Informal structure Unexpected problems
The Promise of the Network Perspective
• Relationships information flow innovation
• Reveals hidden structure: Emergent ties in workplace
• See structure; identify dysfunctions; leverage capital
• The task of leadership…
Social Capital in Work Organizations
• Silos and bridges
• Tacit versus explicit knowledge
• Private versus public information
• Homogeneity within groups; the logic of exploitation; the echo of reputation; and the dangers of groupthink
Social Capital at Work
• Social capital exists “where people have an advantage because of their location in social structure”
– Private information; access to diverse skill sets and ways of thinking; power (getting things done); professional growth
* Early career: Operational skills and what you can accomplish independently.
* Later career: Ability to develop effective relationships with key people.
Typical concerns:
- Insincere; manipulative; not “real” work
Questions:
- What factors influence the network you have?
- What is the network you need to have?
- How can you build that network?
FILL OUT NETWORK ATTITUDE SURVEY (15 MINUTES)
Assess Your Intelligence System
• Do you feel you tend to be “in the know”? Do you find out quickly about key decisions, activities, events?
• Are you relatively central or marginal within the informal communication network in your work group?
• Do you have personal contacts in a wide range of groups?
• Do you actively share information with superiors, subordinates, peers?
• Do you maintain ties with work related/professional contacts?
• Do you know and talk regularly to peers within your workgroup?
• Are you well connected to your formal workgroup leader?
Source: Ron Burt (2005, AJS)
Which Position is Best?
What Are The Determinants of Power at Work
Determinants of Power at WorkSources of positional power:•Formal authority – position in hierarchy and prescribed responsibilities•Relevance – relationship between task and organizational objectives•Centrality – position in key networks•Autonomy – amount of discretion in a position•Visibility – degree to which performance can be seen by others
Sources of personal power:•Expertise – relevant knowledge and skills•Track record – relevant experience•Attractiveness – attributes that others find appealing and identify with•Effort – expenditure of time and energy
©Whetton and Cameron, Developing Management Skills: Gaining Power and Influence, New York, Harper Collins Publishers 1993
Are Networks A Source of Power?
The Leaders Collaborate
When the leaders collaborate, each loses some power … becauseof less constrained info. flow
Subordinates bridge… and gain power… leaderslose some power
Subordinates Forms Tie with Leader of Other Group
Leader 10 gains power; leader 15 loses powerSubordinate 16 gains power; 11/12/13 gain some power because their leader is now morepowerful
When Subordinates Seize Power
People connect with 16 because of reputationas a bridge/broker (the rich get richer). 16 now more powerful than her boss. 16 letstie to 14 lapse…
Power Struggle Ensues…
Boss 15 cuts tie to Boss 10… making 16even more powerful!
Emergent Network (grey ties formal; purple informal)
Who is more powerful? 10 or 16? Why?
What if 16 builds Intra-Group Ties Instead?
15 and 16 are “structurally equivalent”
But When Everyone is Connected…
Everyone in GroupB is equally powerful
The Power of Informal Brokers
When The Leaders Connect…
Greater dispersion of power…
How Social Network Analysis (SNA) Could Enhance Inter-unit
Integration at XXXX
LINKS Center for Social Network Analysis Gatton College of Business and Economics
Slides Courtesy of Professor Borgatti
Who are the key players in a network?
Note: each node in network is a person; lines represent regular work-related communication (but could represent other relations, such as trust, advice, and so on)
Courtesy of Prof. Borgatti
© 2005 Steve Borgatti
Example # 1Trust ties in a Global Consulting Firm
BM
BS
BR
BS
BW
BS
CRCD
DI
DB
EE
GS
GM
HA
HBHS
JE
KR
KA
LR
LK
MG
MJ
NP
PH
PS
SR
SF
TO
WS
WD
WL
Data from: Cross, R., Parker, A., & Borgatti, S.P. 2002. Making Invisible Work Visible: Using Social Network Analysis to Support Strategic Collaboration. California Management Review. 44(2): 25-46
K % KP-Set1 31 {KR}2 53 {BM,BS}3 72 {BM,BS,NP}4 81 {BM,BS,DI,NP}5 84 {BM,BS,DI,KR,NP}6 91 {BM,BS,DI,HB,KR,TO}7 94 {BM,BS,BS2,DI,HB,PS,TO}8 97 {BM,BS,BS2,CD,DI,HB,PS, TO}9 100 {BM,BS,BW,BS2,CD,DI,HB,PS,TO}
- Trust ties among employees
{BS,BM,NP}y = 31.592Ln(x) + 33.174R2 = 0.987
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 2 4 6 8 10
• Major change initiative is planned. Which small set of employees should we select for intensive indoctrination? in hopes they will diffuse positive attitude/knowledge to others
Network influenceability
Courtesy of Prof. Borgatti
Close-to Network at T1: Part-timers versus Full-timers
Note: Separate worlds of part and full timers is very clear in the close-to network.
What kind of Network is ideal?
• What are you trying to do?
– Size– Composition/Diversity/Range– Structure
• Challenges in seeing holes• Challenges in plugging holes• Reputation deficits• The vision advantage• Like over-the-horizon radar
Assessing Your Personal Network
What kind of Network is ideal?
• What are you trying to do?
– Size– Composition/Diversity/Range– Structure
• Challenges in seeing holes• Challenges in plugging holes• Reputation deficits• The vision advantage• Like over-the-horizon radar
Social Capital
• Structure
• Composition
Information benefitsof structural holes
Source: Borgatti 2012
Revere’s network
Dawe’s network
Kinds of Networks
• Operational
• Personal
• Strategic
What Influences Tie Formation?
• Self-similarity: the homophily principle
• Proximity
• Shared activities?
• Social identity
• From Cialdini: Reciprocity/symmetry; and from Heider, transitivity/cognitive dissonance (friends of friends)
• Embedded ties persist longer
© Michael E. Wasserman, 2010
48 Allen & Henn, 2007
What Influences Formation and Persistence of Ties
Effects of Physical Location on Network Structure
50 Mehra et al., 2010
Effects of Tenure on Network Structure
© Michael E. 51 Mehra et al., 2010
Building Networks in the Workplace
Uzzi Exercise
Changing/Maintaining Networks
• Homophily• Contact hypothesis• Propinquity• It’s a small world
• The power of role modelling• Find reasons for interacting (common tasks,
shared purpose, personal passions)• Make time: this is work
Networking Principles• Expectations can be self-fulfilling: Manage expectations/social
identities
• Opportunity for interaction is crucial: Create opportunities for interaction.
• Homophily: what makes you similar and distinctive?
• It’s a small world: The power of a few shortcuts on system efficiency.
• Reciprocate: Give to your network if you hope to get from it.
54
Seeing/Evaluating Networks
• Evaluation worksheet at end of this slide presentation
• Experience• Structural Balance• Emotional closeness• Lack of information• Bad versus good sources• Self-report versus observation
The Network You Need
• Whose cooperation do I need?
• Whose compliance do I need?
• Whose opposition can thwart my work plans?
• Who needs my cooperation and compliance?
© Michael E. Wasserman, 2010
56
The Networking Landscape
PeersSubordinatesSuperiors
Your connection to:SuppliersCustomersStake holders - Government officials - Judges; Lawyers; Police - Content Experts - Leaders at other labs
TeamsDepartments/Divisions
Your groups’ connections to:SuppliersCustomersStake holders - Government officials - Judges; Lawyers; Police - Content Experts - Leaders at other labs
© Michael E. Wasserman, 2010
57
Internal External
Inter-Personal
Inter-Group
Practical Tips for Managing Your Personal Network
– Share information that benefits the other; do a favor.• “I wouldn’t be caught dead joining any club that would have me as a member”
Marx, Groucho
– Engineer serendipity: e.g., breakfast meetings
– Reactivate some dormant ties– just lunch?
– Look for bridging roles and positions
– Leverage others’ ties (“Soul of a new machine”): hitch your network to theirs
– Identify keyplayers in informal and formal structure and nurture those roles/ties
– Keep your “enemies” close: invite key “customers”/”suppliers” to informal meeting/event
– Cultivate contacts before you need them
– Attend conferences: keep up your external ties58
The Network Your Group Needs
• What information is critical to your group’s performance (internally/externally)? Who are the groups/people your group needs connections to for this information?
• What are the main uncertainties, threats, and opportunities your group faces (internally/externally)?
Who are the groups/people your group needs connections to for this information?
• Where is your group in the (internal/external) flow of information?
Who are the groups/people your group needs connections to for this information?
59
Practical Tips for Managing Your Group’s Network
• Manage identity/manage similarity– Birds of a feather…
• The power of numbers• Perceptions of similarity can be shaped
• Use physical location to anticipate and manage ties• Create joint-tasks • Empower people to pool social capital• Share leadership
60
Network Dysfunctions
• Imploded relationships: High internal/Low external
• Irregular communication: Low internal/high external
• Fragile structures: High internal/Limited external
• Holes: Places where ties should exist but don’t
What you can do now
• Start informal breakfast meetings– food is crucial. Extend casual invitations to chat about things
• Reactivate one or two of your previous contacts. Extend an invitation or just stop by to chat
• Share information with a subordinate: creates a virtuous circle.
• Who are the information bridges internally and externally?
• Identify outside suppliers and invite them to lunch• Attend some of those seemingly wasteful events– trade
shows, cocktail parties, etc.62
© Michael E. Wasserman, 2010
63
Current Contact Invest Hold Divest
Managing your Network Portfolio
Resources • Leadership: Online Resource:
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm• Tracy Kidder’s “Soul of a new machine.”
• Social Networks:• Download and install UCINET (version 6.29) from:
http://www.analytictech.com/downloaduc6.htm• Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point”• Alber-Laszlo Barabasi’s “Linked: How everything is connected to everything else and
what it means”• Cross, R. & Parker, A. “The hidden power of social networks: Understanding how
work really gets done in organizations.”
• More specialized books on social networks: http://www.insna.org/INSNA/books_inf.html
• Link to INSNA: http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/• Social Networks Analysis for Newbies
Appendix Material
Page 66
What does the network (really) look like?
“Even the most psychologically shrewd managers lack critical information about how employees spend their day, and how they feel about peers.
Managers simply cannot be everywhere at once, nor can they read minds. So they’re left to draw conclusions based on superficial observations” (Krackhardt & Hansen, 1993)
Relationships at work
• Early career: Operational skills and what you can accomplish independently.
• Later career: Ability to develop effective relationships with key people.
• Networks are important for:– Information gathering (private information; access to diverse skill
sets) – getting things done (power); – developing and growing personally and professionally.
Typical concerns:
- Insincere; manipulative; not “real” work
Assess Your Intelligence System
• Do you feel you tend to be “in the know”? Do you find out quickly about key decisions, activities, events?
• Are you relatively central or marginal within the informal communication network in your work group?
• Do you have personal contacts in a wide range of groups?
• Do you actively share information with superiors, subordinates, peers?
• Do you maintain ties with work related/professional contacts?
• Do you know and talk regularly to peers within your workgroup?
• Are you well connected to your formal workgroup leader?
Popularity of Network Research
Page 70Source: Bearman et. al. 2004
The Power of Networks
• Private Information
• Access to diverse skill sets
• Power
Example of Consulting Work
Questions that a network study would help address
– What is the current state of actual interpersonal collaboration/coordination across members of different units?
– Who are the “key players” in the emergent network of collaboration/coordination?
• Who are the bridges between units?• Who are the central figures within a given unit?• Who are the marginal figures?• Who are the bottlenecks in the flow of information/collaboration?• How is the intended structure different from the emergent one, and what
can be done to “fix” the problem?
– How is the network changing over time?
Formal Reporting Relations in an Italian Company
Source: Dr. Patrizia Vecchi
Source: Dr. Patrizia Vecchi
Emergent Trust Relations in an Italian Company
What Matters More: Real Networks or Perceived Networks?
Sorority DV = leadership nominations
77
Independent Variable 1 2 3 4Satisfaction with organization 0.20 0.14 0.35* .32*
(.14) (.14) (.16) (.16)Officer status 2.05** 1.97** 2.23** 2.18**
(.21) (.20) (.22) (.22)Network size 0.11** -0.06 0.08 -0.09
(.04) (.07) (.04) (.07)
Local density 0.81 1.13*(.48) (.48)
Local bridging 0.21 -0.27(.69) (.77)
Local reach 0.07** .08*(.03) (.03)
Perceived local density -.32* -.36*(.16) (.16)
Perceived local bridging 0.21 .28**(.11) (.17)
Perceived local reach .34* 0.16(.17) (.17)
Pearson χ2 232.04 211.81 181.56 158.69Log likelihood -392.98 -385.44 -.359.77 -352.18Likelihood ratio χ2 97.21** 103.42** 106.00** 115.31*** p < .05; ** p < .01aEntries represent parameter estimates. Standard errors are in parentheses. The intercept parameters were included in the negative binomial regression models but are not reported here.
TABLE
Standardized Regression Coefficients from Analyses Predicting
Leadership Nominations N = 123a
Model
Basking-in-Reflected Glory
• What matters is that you be perceived as having the right ties…
Source: Ron Burt (2005, AJS)
Determinants of Power at WorkSources of positional power:•Formal authority – position in hierarchy and prescribed responsibilities•Relevance – relationship between task and organizational objectives•Centrality – position in key networks•Autonomy – amount of discretion in a position•Visibility – degree to which performance can be seen by others
Sources of personal power:•Expertise – relevant knowledge and skills•Track record – relevant experience•Attractiveness – attributes that others find appealing and identify with•Effort – expenditure of time and energy
©Whetton and Cameron, Developing Management Skills: Gaining Power and Influence, New York, Harper Collins Publishers 1993
Practical Tips for Managing Your Personal Network
– Share information that benefits the other; do a favor.• “I wouldn’t be caught dead joining any club that would have me as a member”
Marx, Groucho
– Engineer serendipity: e.g., breakfast meetings
– Reactivate some dormant ties– just lunch?
– Look for bridging roles and positions
– Leverage others’ ties (“Soul of a new machine”): hitch your network to theirs
– Identify keyplayers in informal and formal structure and nurture those roles/ties
– Keep your “enemies” close: invite key “customers”/”suppliers” to informal meeting/event
– Cultivate contacts before you need them
– Attend conferences: keep up your external ties© Michael E. Wasserman, 2010
81
Data Control Systems
Communications Technologies
Field DesignSoftware
Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993
How the CEO Views the Trust Network
Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993
The Trust Network According to Calder
© Michael E. Wasserman, 2010
84
The Advice Network Reveals the Experts
Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993
But When it Comes to Trust…
Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993
The Network You Need
• What information is critical to your performance (internally/externally)? Who are the people you need connections to if you want this information?
• What are the main uncertainties, threats, and opportunities you face (internally/externally)?
Who are the people you need to be connected to?
• Where are you in the (internal/external) flow of information? Who are the people you need to be connected to?
© Michael E. Wasserman, 2010
87
Uzzi and Dunlap:Social Capital at Work
• Social capital exists “where people have an advantage because of their location in social structure”
– Private information; access to diverse skill sets and ways of thinking; power (getting things done); professional growth
* Early career: Operational skills and what you can accomplish independently.
* Later career: Ability to develop effective relationships with key people.
Typical concerns:
- Insincere; manipulative; not “real” work
Questions:
- What factors influence the network you have?
- What is the network you need to have?
- How can you build that network?
Resources • Leadership: Online Resource:
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm• Tracy Kidder’s “Soul of a new machine.”
• Social Networks:• Download and install UCINET (version 6.29) from:
http://www.analytictech.com/downloaduc6.htm• Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point”• Alber-Laszlo Barabasi’s “Linked: How everything is connected to everything else and
what it means”• Cross, R. & Parker, A. “The hidden power of social networks: Understanding how
work really gets done in organizations.”
• More specialized books on social networks: http://www.insna.org/INSNA/books_inf.html
• Link to INSNA: http://www.sfu.ca/~insna/• Social Networks Analysis for Newbies
Thanks!
Questions?
91