Professional Social Graphs

Above is the social graph [a.k.a. social network map] of Paul Erdős  Two nodes are connected by a link if they collaborated on writing one or more academic papers.  Erdős was an expert in the mathematics of networks. Erdős practiced what he preached -- he was a weaver of social networks and thus a builder of social capital.

Erdős was known for traveling the world and collaborating with mathematicians on problems and proofs he found interesting. He would actually live with his collaborators for a week or two while they worked out mathematical proofs that were of interest to both. Following a successful collaboration, Erdős would journey on to the next interesting problem and those who could help him solve it. 

Many scientific papers resulted from these intense face-to-face collaborations. Erdős had 507 co-authors, some of whom collaborated with each other. Erdős'  partnerships exposed the social structure of scientific discovery. 

These traveling collaborations became so famous that soon mathematicians were keeping track of their Erdős Numbers. If you co-authored an article with Erdős you have a number of 1, if you co-authored a paper with one of his direct collaborators you have an Erdős Number of 2, and so on. It has become very prestigious in the mathematics community to have a low Erdős Number. 

Dr. Jerry Grossman maintains a data repository of Erdõs numbers and collaborators -- The Erdős Number Project -- from which I gathered the data to construct the collaborator graph above.  Erdős node is removed from the graph to minimize complexity -- he, of course, is connected to everyone on the graph.

Experts have long argued about the optimal structure of a person's professional network. Some say that a dense, cohesive network brings more social capital, while others argue that a sparse, radial network, one that provides opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurial activity, equates to greater social capital. Erdős'  network shows both patterns -- a densely connected core along with loosely coupled radial branches reaching out from the core.  The people in the core/center of your network probably know the same things you do, while the people along your network's periphery probably know different things and different people than you know.

According to Ron Burt -- a leading expert on social capital -- that structure may be the optimal pattern for success. According to Burt, radial ties reach diverse information and knowledge to create value, while the dense, trusted ties deliver value in discovered opportunities. 

You need both strong ties and weak ties for a successful professional network

In other words, you need both strong ties and weak ties for a successful professional network -- distant/weak ties help you figure out what to do, while local/strong ties help you get it done.

Weak ties may help you figure out what to do, while strong ties will help you get it done

What is the structure of your professional network? What is the structure of your professional network?  The first step to improve your network is to map it -- Know the Net!  After you Know the Net, you have several options for opportunity.

After you Know the Net, you can...

• Navigate the Net,
• Nudge the Net,
• Knit the Net,
• Knead the Net

If you want to improve your professional network, or those in your organization, please contact us at Orgnet, LLC.