Social Network Analysis - Are You Important?

There is a reason why an IT organization is successful.diagram is constructed showing a graphical
The quality of relationships that IT leaders develop withrepresentation of all nodes and associated ties.
each other, customers, and other business units directlyOnce data is gathered, a social diagram can be
relate to the success that the IT organization achievesconstructed and analyzed. Valuable information can be
as a whole. The IT executive's ability to build qualityfound which can lead to a better understanding of
relationships and a bridge gaps between sales,who the key players are in your organization, who is
marketing, and other lines of business can make orholding the organization back, who holds influence with
break IT's success. IT value in the new economy is notothers, how decisions are made, how information
about how fast an application responds, but the qualityflows, who trusts who, and who is in the decision
of personal relationships the CIO and IT managementmaking loop. Another key benefit of Social Network
develop with other business units and customers. PureAnalysis is that it can reveal how informal networks
technology is essentially black and white. It is thethat are key to an organization's success can differ
human interactions that makes or breaks manyfrom official reporting charts and how actual decision
projects and initiatives. This article focuses on onemaking processes differ from previous assumptions.
method of measuring the quality of relationships thatOrganizations who have used Social Network Analysis
your Information Technology team develops - Socialhave reported that they discovered hidden assets that
Network Analysis.were playing key roles in their team, found individuals
So, how do you measure the quality of relationshipsviewed as key players that were surprisingly isolated,
developed within your team? Well, the good news isidentified anonymous workers that held powerful
you already have a good idea who your topinfluences, and discovered workers who were
performers and bottom performers are without usinggatekeepers rather than information sharers.
a set of metrics to figure it out. However, introducingConclusion
an analysis of relationship metrics could provide youWhile an IT executive might already have an idea of
with new insight into team members. As an executive,who works well with others and who doesn't, many do
your interactions with a manager might be drasticallynot try to quantify which leaders demonstrate good
different than how that same manager reacts withrelationship development. Once you can quantify the
others in the management chain. Someone who isrelationship results, you can start taking action based
completely open and helpful to you might not be soon your findings. These results also give you another
upfront and honest with peers. You might alsoview into who your top performers are, who to
discover some managers are not held in high regardreward, and who you can count on for critical projects.
by their peers, or find that a manager who flies underOften, efforts are made to evaluate relationship quality
the radar is one of your best assets.and to try and resolve teamwork issues only when a
The method outlined here to measure the relationshipsserious conflict arises. This is the worst time to build
your organization has developed with each other andrelationships as the parties are already in conflict. It is
with business units is called Social Network Analysisimportant to implement a relationship evaluation during
(SNA). While Social Network Analysis is less wellnon confrontational times to increase these skills in
known, it can be a valuable tool in evaluating theyour management chain. Since relationship quality is
organizational ties of groups and individuals within thekey to an organization's success, these metrics can
groups. The goal of a Social Network Analysis is toprovide you with another means to evaluate your
find the structure of an organization which includesorganization and how to raise the bar with your
information on how organizations are run, howcustomers.
problems are solved, alliances, informal subgroups, andGood relationships also foster understanding of other
how well individuals achieve their goals.group's business goals and processes. It is the IT
The foundation of SNA is based on viewing socialexecutive's responsibility to understand the business
relationships in terms of individuals (nodes) andand how business processes and teams integrate
relationships between individuals (ties). Each node canacross the enterprise. An effective technology
have many ties of varying types with other nodes instrategy cannot exist without business process
the network. To gather the node and tie information, aunderstanding and quality relationships with other the
set of simple questions is administered to the individualsbusiness leaders.
aimed at identifying their positive and negativeThe best organizations have and retain the best
connections. Examples are: Who do you look to forpeople. By fostering an environment of teamwork built
advice? With whom do you discuss personal matters?on quality relationships, your top performers will be
Who do you report too? Who are your most valuablehappier, more productive, and enjoy the workplace.
subordinates? From whom must you obtain buy-in?People happy with their environment are more loyal,
Who is your most difficult contact? After gatheringwork harder, and are less likely to look elsewhere for
nodes and tie data within an organization, a sociala new opportunity.