For week 2, I read the following articles: "The People Who Make Organizations Go - or Stop" and "Six Myths About Informal Networks - And How To Overcome Them".
I liked the first article because it gave an in-depth explanation of what social network analysis is all about, in terms of identifying the importance of the four common role players. To be honest, I learned quite a few things from this article because I thought that social networking was about building informal relationships without realizing its importance and its effect on its respective organizations.
In my opinion, I thought that the second article complemented the first. After understanding what social network analysis was, I felt that it was necessary to be aware of the myths that accompanied it. Out of the six myths that were discussed I found two of them very interesting. For instance, "Everyone should be connected to everyone else" and "How people fit into networks is a matter of personality (which can't be changed)". Once again, in my opinion if you are connected to the right people then there is no need to be connected to everyone else. But the most interesting thing I learned was that people fitted into networks based on a matter of intentional behaviors which can be influenced.
After reading these articles, Tricia's Thoughts recommends them for anyone who is interested in social networking. You'll learn how to conduct a social network analysis, identifying each role players and their importance, and how to overcome certain myths. I hoped you enjoyed reading Tricia's Thoughts and I look forward to seeing you again.
Monday, January 18, 2010
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Although it is true that in order to be efficient, one needs to be connected to the right people, not to everyone else, I feel that as long as time permits it is always good to know more people. Through these people, you may gain insights into other parts of the organization or explore future employment opportunities. When it comes to team building, personality is always a problem as someone may be reluctant to share information due to job security or his or her' own value system.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I agree that knowing everyone else is better than knowing the right person. When meeting someone for the first time, you never know if they ARE the RIGHT person to be connected to. So the first step to meeting the right person, one needs to networking with everyone. Sometimes, that random person who may not be the right person, might connect you with the right one.
ReplyDeleteTrish, I agree that if you are connected to the right people then there is no need to be connected to everyone else. The right people will then be able to connect you with other useful contacts, knowing everyone is not necessary and can be a waste of time. With that said, I still think you have to be open to meeting new people. I look forward to future posts.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with the two comments above. Although its commonly said that quality is more important than quantity, I would argue in this instance that the greater the quantity the more likely you are to find the quality. Also, knowing more people in the business atmosphere can potentially lead you down many paths. If something falls through with one person it would be beneficial to have other networks to fall back on.
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