An Executive's Primer on the Strategy of Social Networks

Back

The purpose of this primer is to provide executives with an overview of social network research as it relates to individual, group, and organizational learning, innovation, and performance. While social networking and some of the powerful tools of social network analysis have become somewhat ubiquitous features of today’s competitive landscape, that does not mean that they are a business, let alone the foundation or catalyst for a profitable business. Chapter 1 identifies the key conceptual underpinnings of social network theory and social network analysis. Chapter 2 relates how social network theory predicts individual promotion and resource acquisition, while Chapter 3 extends this work to show how the fruits of team collaboration is dependent on social network characteristics. Chapter 4 looks a social networks from a strategic lens, drawing one examples from P&G (the connect and develop model), McKinsey (social networks as invisible organizational structure), and Accenture (innovation in a Flat World). Chapter 5 helps executives sift through the hype and hubris around social networks and social networking as a business. Finally, Chapter 6 identifies some of the key ethical issues accompanying social network analysis.

Author Biography: 

Mason A. Carpenter (Ph.D., 1997, UT Austin) is the M. Keith Weikel Professor of Leadership in UW Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business (WI, USA). He is responsible for the MBA and executive MBA courses in business, corporate, and global strategy, and the curriculum offered through Wisconsin’s Strategic Leadership Institute.