Your network can be a liability (article review)
You can watch an excellent interview (17 min) with Martin Gargiulo, professor at INSEAD. A written summary is also available.
He makes a very interesting point about the fact that networks can be a liability. Indeed, if only people similar to yourself compose your network, it can become a “blinder”. Such a network can be very comforting but will soon become a liability (watch segment around 5 minutes from interview start).
However, if you have a sparse network (with lots of weak-ties), it can help you to reach well beyond your own corporation. Even so, do not be fooled and think that by having lots of weak-ties, you have a huge network. According to Gargiulo, your core network will have hardly more than 30 people. The weak-ties are useful because they do not need a major maintenance effort and they can be reactivated when necessary.
You can also analyze your own network with Gargiulo’s online questionnaire!
Related links:
- “Trapped in Your Own Net? Network Cohesion, Structural Holes, and the Adaptation of Social Capital“, Martin Gargiulo, Mario Benassi. ORGANIZATION SCIENCE, Vol. 11, No. 2, March-April 2000, pp. 183-196.
Connecting Forward: Pre-order at Amazon.co.uk
