Networks, Complexity, and Relatedness

Networks, Complexity, and Relatedness
Inquiry and learning into social networks, organizational network analysis, and the relationships among people and systems in complex organizations and networks.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Learning from the Experts on social network analysis

I came across two gems this past week, I forget what I was looking for, but found a wonderful video of Ron Burt, whose work on structural holes is one of the cornerstones of social network analysis. Burt's writing is pretty dense and very technical, so I was delighted by the accessibility of his explanations in his talk on"Collaborate to Innovate: A brief note on the social origins of good ideas" at a Nesta (National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts in the UK). He brings life to the distinctions between the roles of people who bring ideas from the outside vice those who try to keep things focused on the inside.

The second is an audio of Karen Stephenson's talk at MeshForum last year. It's newly posted, on ITConversations. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down the slide presentation that she was speaking to, but there are some terrific nuggets from a person who as been doing organizational network analysis professionally longer than most of us.

In both instances, it's nice to see their personalities come through.

btw (1). Karen is offering a certification program in NetForm Social Network Analysis through the Organization Development Network. I probably shouldn't advertise the competition (as I do training in ONA myself), but I think it's great to see a large national organization be so interested in bringing competency in ONA into their repertoire.

btw(2). The next MeshForum is May 7, inSan Francisco. I haven't been able to attend any of these, but the content -- all shared on the MeshForum site -- is excellent. Shannon Clark is a great connector of multidisciplinary ideas and threads. This year, the 2nd day of MeshForum will be in the Open Space format. It should be wonderful.

Labels: innovation, social network analysis

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Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Connective Tissue

We have a snow day, at last, in New England, and I can pretend to try to catch up on reading blogs and offering a collection of topics.

Item 1. Traveling vicariously. Since he started blogging a year ago on Cognitive Edge, Dave Snowden has treated us to opinions on matters of knowledge management, complexity, philosophy, management, and all else; offered wonderful tidbits from his own reading and browsing (is there a word for blog-browsing?); and, since he has left his sabbatical posting in Singapore, is providing a travelogue (blog-alogue?). I especially like his approach to using public transportation as much as possible.

Item 2. Most referenced article of the past week that I really ought to have blogged on first is the recent publication of a free version of an article by Rob Cross and Tim Laseter, The Craft of Connection that was published last fall in strategy+business. It's a good summary of their research using Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) to map the connectivity in communities of practice at companies like Halliburton, Whirlpool, Chevron, and Sanofi-Aventis. Not much new for ONA practitioners, but it's really good to see (as always) the increase in articles about ONA in the business press. Also interesting that this time they do not refer to ONA specifically, the article doesn't show any maps at all, and they refer to the network maps using the term of sociological origin, sociograms.

Item 3. Most recent new blog by a colleague is Laurie Lock Lee's blog on Industry Network Maps.
You'll want to follow the link to the maps that Laurie has created as part of his ongoing research in mapping the relationships of companies in industry ecosystems. Industry network maps (INMs) are a great adjunct to an ONA in strategic planning.

Item 4. The role of networks in nonprofit organizations. Bruce Hoppe pointed me last year to the handbook, Net Gains: A Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change, that Madeline Taylor and Peter Plastrik for the Barr Foundation. I've had the pleasure of talking with Marion Kane, the foundation's Executive Director, and Roberto Cremonini, the Chief Knowledge and Learning Officer, over the years as they have used network ("net work"!) thinking in understanding the community relationships that they need to develop and support programs in the Boston area. They are also featured in a recent publication of GrantCraft , an organization that provides services to organizations that make grants to nonprofits. One of my great learnings in writing Net Work is the multiple ways that nonprofits are using networks intentionally in their strategic planning as well as in operational delivery. I read an early version of Net Gains while I was writing Net Work, and had one of those "can I write about this as well as they did?" author moments. It's really terrific, and while targeted for an audience in the nonprofit world, has many terrific insights, and great quotes that I restrained myself from stealing:

"Networks are present everywhere. All we need is an eye for them."(Albert-László Barabási)
"Networks are the language of our times, but our institutions are not programmed to understand them." (Helen McCarthy, Paul Miller, and Paul Skidmore, in an introduction to Network logic.

Item 5. April 23 is closing in. That's the due date for Net Work. You can order Net Work at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and presumably other online booksellers now.

Labels: Dave Snowden, network maps, ONA, organizational network analysis, SNA, social network analysis

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patti anklam. How to make networks work.

Upcoming:
Boston KM Forum, Waltham, MA October 21, 2009.

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