Social Network Analysis: SNA, ONA, VNA
25th in a series of 50 Knowledge Management Components (Slide 33 in KM 102 )
Social network analysis: mapping and measuring of relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, computers or other information/knowledge processing entities; the nodes in the network are the people and groups, while the links show relationships or flows between the nodes – provides both a visual and a mathematical analysis of human relationships (from Valdis Krebs )
Social network analysis (SNA) can be used to improve communities, identify missing links, and improve connections between groups.Â
In a KM implementation plan , identify all groups that need to connect, and include boundary spanning as a required knowledge flow . The higher the level of connectedness you can achieve, the more knowledge will flow between groups. You can use social network analysis to help determine the current state of social networks and to identify boundary spanning opportunities.
SNA can be used to identify people who are linked, but who may not be part of a formal community. These people can be invited join a community relevant to them.
In The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations , Rob Cross and Andrew Parker describe the benefits of using SNA, including:
You can use SNA to bridge silos, create awareness of distributed expertise distributed in the network, and identify and draw in peripheral network members. In Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving , Valdis Krebs and June Holley assert that "improved connectivity is created through an iterative process of knowing the network and knitting the network." SNA enables you to know the network so that you can then proceed to weave new members into it.
In his profile Valdis Krebs , advises to “connect on your similarities and profit from your diversities.†By using SNA to identify those with both similarities and differences, and using this information to better connect those people, you can enable greatly improved collaboration and knowledge flow within and across organizations. SNA is especially useful in understanding and improving the social networks of individuals, in enabling more effective collaboration by ensuring that the right people are included, and in starting, building, and extending communities.
Two related processes are Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) and Value Network Analysis (VNA). Patti Anklam states, “ONA comprises social network analysis (SNA) tools that provide managers with visual maps and quantitative data that indicate the current patterns of connection within and across groups in an organization. ONA is proving to be an exceptional tool for providing a baseline against which to measure changes in collaboration and connectivity during times of organizational change. I use ONA with clients to help them assess the current state of connectivity in their organizations and reframe their strategies in terms of network capacity and diversity.â€
Patti also states, “VNA brings insight and perspective by creating a map of the interactions — tangible and intangible — among the functional groups in an organization’s business processes. VNA puts the network lens on a value chain. I use it to help clients see the important patterns in knowledge flow and collaboration so as to help target the introduction of methods and tools to support enhanced collaboration and innovation.â€
Verna Allee defined VNA as “a business modeling methodology that visualizes business activities and sets of relationships from a dynamic whole systems perspective.†She further stated , “the Value Network approach helps individuals and work groups better manage their interactions and address operational issues, such as balancing workflows or improving communication. It also scales up to the business level to help forge stronger value-creating linkages with strategic partners and improve stakeholder relationships.â€
Insights
1. Valdis Krebs: Social network interaction will become the engine for innovation. Master it. Good advice from the Gartner Group at their Symposium/ITxpo: Emerging Trends . They gave 4 core messages for Leading Edge IT Change. Message #1 includes network mapping and network weaving. Gartner said that Social Network Interaction is where leading-edge companies will make their mark and wield their influence. It advised CIOs and IT leaders to:
2. Patti Anklam: Networks exist outside of corporations as well — everyone participates in multiple networks, including the informal family, community, work, and their purely social networks of friends. Formal networks include civic organizations like Rotary International, alumni groups, and business and professional groups. The latter have all evolved distinct governance models, norms for joining and participating, legacy databases, membership rolls, and very public identities. There is yet another class of network that is not yet well defined, and for which the norms and governance models are emerging — networks such as inter-company and intra-company learning and collaboration networks; independent consultants who share common interests and passions who want to remain independent but work collaboratively and consistently with like-minded others. They can be geographically local business networks; web-based virtual learning groups and communities; or global action networks destined to make the world a better place.
3. Rob Cross and Andrew Parker: That organizational charts rarely describe functional hierarchy is obvious to any employee who’s ever tried to adhere to one. Instead, survival often depends on incorporating oneself into unofficial social networks that allow one to gain access to necessary information and to collaborate with the colleagues who can actually get things done. By literally mapping information flow and collaboration patterns among the people who make up a department or firm, it is possible to pinpoint individual bottlenecks, essential employees and those who have been pushed to the periphery or whose expertise is underutilized. Social network analysis enables managers to adapt their strategies to exploit and support these now visible networks and improve overall productivity.
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4. David Green: The role of Organizational Network Analysis in People Analytics — I prefer Michael Arena ’s description in his excellent recent podcast with Al Adamsen , where the Chief Talent Officer of GM defined ONA as providing “a new lens to evaluate how people show up in an organization.â€
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Co-Founder at Semlr | Co-Founder at Save Groundwater Foundation
7yThanks Stan. There is certainly value to be unlocked here, especially for larger organizations. I also see a potential intersection with some of the Data Science analysis techniques that are becoming more mainstream.