Organization Charts

This reading talked about the different roles people in an organization can play in a networking sense. What was most interesting about this was that the people who you would think should be the connectors within the network were actually less connected, while the others were the true connectors. To figure this out, the companies had a specialist create an organization chart. What was most interesting to me about these charts was not only showing how the most influential people were not the ones we might expect, but rather for being used as a means of accountability. Having worked within many different organizations and companies, accountability seems to be so important. Everyone always wants to know who is responsible for what whether it be positive or negative.

In class last week, we discussed the six degrees link. Whether or not you believe this theory to be true, the people that were identified by the organization chart described in the reading as connectors are the types of people that would prove it. Most everyone should be connected through any of their networks to at least one connector. If every connector is also connected to at least one other connector and these relationships keep expanding outwards, then maybe the theory does have some merit. Last week in class we began the small world project. I didn't think I knew anyone in Australia (where my target lives). The information said that my target is in the medical field and travels to Chicago a lot. In a matter of two days and two connections, I managed to get connected with someone involved in the same line of work in Australia. That was pretty impressive and shocking to me. I think it would be pretty cool if I was able to connect with my target in under six degrees. This reading made me think about the importance of really thinking about who you know. Are the people that you might associate with importance really the important ones? Or are the less well know people really the ones that you need to go through. I agree with the articles position that "as people rise in the hierarchy, they move out to the edge of a network, not the center.