subject: What is Social Network Analysis? [print this page] What is Social Network Analysis? What is Social Network Analysis?
Relationship Economics is about understanding both the art and science of business relationships. It has been my experience that though many get the art 30 second introductions, remembering names, building rapport few truly understand the science. The concept of Social Network Analysis (SNA) has been in existence since the 1930s and is the intersection of psychology, anthropology, sociology, organization design and mathematics specifically graph theory. Its roots are ingrained in academic circles and are too complex for many to comprehend, much less apply to teams within organizations.
What is Social Network Analysis?
Social Network Analysis, in its simplest term, is the process of mapping and measuring relationships and flow between people, groups, organizations, and other information/knowledge-processing entities. SNA provides both a mathematical and a visual analysis of human relationships. The term has been used as a metaphor for over a century to convey complex sets of relationships between members of a social system. In 1954, a social scientist, Jay Barnes, began using this term to denote patterns inside and outside founded groups such as tribes or families and social categories such as gender or ethnicity. In recent years, SNA has evolved from suggestive metaphors to a true analytical model in various methods and research circles.
Analysts are able to deduct key insights from a deep dive of "whole to parts" from structures to individual interactions and from behaviors to attitude. By studying the whole network, which contacts specific ties or relationships between individuals, key assumptions can be made as to the frequency, quality and expansive nature of an interaction between two individuals.
Think about it: Why do you socialize with some co-workers more than others? Why do some colleagues' names appear more often in your Sent e-mail folder than others? Give me a copy of a person's calendar and checkbook and I can tell you the breadth and depth of their relationships. The same could be said for several key attributes of individuals with whom you tend to engage considerably more often than others. A number of those attributes could be easily explained by your role or realm of responsibilities.
Other attributes of our most valued links simply include people who get us. These are the people who are a lot like we are and with whom we have chemistry. If you have been through any of the behavioral or psychological assessment tools, you realize that similar profiles naturally gravitate toward each other.
Why Social Network Analysis Matters
The shape of our social network whether small or more expansive, both internal and external can also highlight the true collaborative nature of an individual or team. In other words, a group of individuals who only communicate and collaborate with one another already share the same knowledge, and to a greater extent, the same set of contacts. Conversely, a group of individuals with connections to a broader, more diverse array of social worlds is more likely to have access to a broader knowledge base and, by deductive reasoning, access to greater opportunities to overcome obstacles.
This is why it is critical to prioritize diversity as the single biggest asset in your portfolio of relationships. The broader your social network, the bigger your relationship bank and sphere of influence.
