Does Rob Cross give social networks too much credit? Or not enough? DUN DUN DUN!

"People who are stuck on the edge of a network are important because they’re underutilized resources and are three times more likely than better-connected people to leave an organization."
-Rob Cross

So first I hear that a social network will make or break a person's stay in a organization, statistically speaking. He goes on to later say,

"If you tried to force a single parent, for instance, or even a scientist or a subject matter expert, back into the fray, you probably wouldn’t get very good results."

But maybe the social aspect of the network is just what that person needs. For instance, the working mother could find a coworker whose daughter is looking for a babysitting job and would work for relatively very little money. I know about this kind of thing from personal experience. Most babysitting jobs my sister and I have had came from my mom's coworkers. People should take the time to get to know a little bit about the other people in their network, especially at work, so that each person can help make another's life a little easier. In this matter, I think that the network is not being taken full advantage of and may not be given the potential credit it deserves.

But I don't think that having a person not connected is going to cause a person to leave an organization. Haven't we all had a job or a class that we would much rather just get our work done and leave? Perhaps the people being examined here actually despise the people they work with and chooses to remain private? After a certain amount of time, they will finally get fed up with everyone else, and just quit. It is then not a matter of getting people involved, it is a matter of dealing with someone who does not like you and refuses to interact with you unless they must.

Otherwise, I simply must say that single mothers are incredibly hard workers and may not have the time to socialize. Either that or they find another, higher paying job which prevents them from staying. I feel that the statistics which Cross uses can be misleading. Since he spends so much time around social networking, what tells me that he is not just giving the social network too much credit?

Ok, now time for the first assignment...

So I started reading the assigned readings. The first thing that came to my mind when I was reading about the "types of individuals in the network" (NETWORKS 71) was how much I partake in social networks, both on the web and off. I mean, already today I've spent hours and hours (and hours) in class, talking to new people (and occasionally playing an entertaining game of tic tac toe, which I lost). This may seem creepy, but I usually tend to look people up on Facebook once I've met them. But then I notice that, "Oh, we have 17 friends in common! I wonder who they are!" and I proceed to look into them. This has the potential to lead to entertainment lasting hours. On the way, I find someone who I do know well in person, but feel the need to confirm it for all Facebook "stalkers" to see. When it comes down to it, I want to be the "central connector" that Rob Cross talks about. Then again, I'd say it is human nature to want to be connected with as many people as possible, especially when everyone can see it. It's a status thing to have over 300 friends and 2,000 posts on your wall. I am well on my way to that, but for now, I'll keep looking up the people I just met.



Cross, Rob and Andrew Parker. The Hidden Power of Social Networks. Harvard Business School Publishing Corp. Boston, MA 2004.

Take 2

"I am a student taking a class related to social networking so I'm posting to this blog for that reason. On my honor, all of these blogs are my own."

Let the good times roll.