This week’s readings were highly informative in how to analyze networks in organizations. Due to what I assume must be brain drain as we near the end of the semester, I found it difficult to apply utilization of social network data to my organization. I kept thinking that there has to be more to social network data than determining what networks exist. How can this be applied to businesses aside from evaluating the organization structure?
Miller and Christakis’ (2011) article on the power of social networks brought this point home to me. The article focuses on how sales and marketing professionals can evaluate social networks to determine “which potential customers would be the most valuable ones to approach” (Miller & Christakis, 2011, p 28).
For a communications professional, this theory directly correlates to key communicator networks. Communications teams can utilize the data in social networks to evaluate the various stakeholder networks – and determine who the most valuable members are. These people can be specifically targeted as a key communicator group to learn from and deliver messages through.
To borrow from Oprah, the article by Miller and Christakis provided the Aha! moment that I needed for this week.
Reference
Miller, L., and Christakis, N. (2011). Tapping the power of social networks. Harvard Business Review, (89)9, 28.
I was hoping your Oprah moment would be more along the lines of, "YOU get a car! AND YOU GET A CAR!!!" But I guess that wouldn't have helped you understand social networks.
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear more about the Miller and Christakis (2011) piece. You say they explain how to evaluate social networks to determine valuable potential customers. What types of network dynamics are particularly important to them? How might we evaluate our own networks better in light of this article?
Brenda, thanks for the submission. I can relate to your brain drain sentiments. I also agree with the multiple utilizations of social network data. For instance, I wrote my Application Assignment about using social network analysis for fighting terrorism. Collecting data in a mathematical way can serve a number of purposes. The article you chose seems to use that data to target consumers. Algorithms are used by companies to predict and track a consumer's online activity. Algorithms also collect online behavior, which can suggest that certain things will be found attractive to an individual. Oftentimes, you will find that people who have created online functioning social networks have extensive backgrounds in mathematical algorithms. Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerburg, and the list continues.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that putting social networks to "strategic" use is intimidating to me. Ibarra and Hunter (2007) suggest figuring out which direction it is that you want to go and then using your network to get stakeholders on board with you. It sounds like the article by Miller and Christakis (2011) might provide further insights when it comes to targeting those stakeholders. Since networking is a "must" I need all the help I can get. I think I might have to check the article out; thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCourtney - I imagine we could develop some sort of analysis for the people chosen to be in the audience on the days when Oprah would announce "You get a car!".
ReplyDeleteMiller and Christakis (2011) specifically refer to the pharmaceutical industry in their article. They say that doctors are more likely to recommend a drug are other doctors they trust begin doing so - even when the drug has proven effectiveness. They infer, but do not explicitly state, that one effective tool in pharmaceutical sales would be to target physicians who share a social network with a doc who is already prescribing the drug they are trying to sell.
In regards to our own networks, this builds upon the trust theory presented by Levin and Cross (2004). Trust matters in social networks and in the sharing of information. To bring this around to key communicator networks, the evaluation of social networks could pinpoint the most trustworthy individuals within a network. By targeting the most trustworthy individual within multiple stakeholder networks, we can bring those people together in one group to a) network with each other and b) share our message with them in hopes that they will communicate it to the stakeholder group that they represent to us.
Thomas - Your application assignment is definitely my next read. Fascinating!!
ReplyDeleteMarissa - I think that the article by Miller and Christakis (2011) provides a real-world application of the theories outside of organizational management. This is what it took for me to fully grasp the importance of social network data.