STM-504: Building Organizational Social Capital: Informal Networks Within & Between Organizations

Semester: Spring

Credit: 1.0

Faculty: David Lazer

Schedule

Day Time Location
First Day 1/28
Meet Day M/W 10:10 AM - 11:30 AM T401
Review

Description

How does the informal set of connections within and among organizations (“organizational social capital”) affect how organizations function and perform? There has been enormous attention in recent years on the role that informal networks play in the success of individuals — witness the rise of online services such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social networking sites. There has also been an increased awareness that public value is coproduced by public and private actors and that the system’s effectiveness at producing public value depends on how those actors are connected. The objective of this course is threefold: (1) To master key ideas regarding organizational social capital. Why do informal networks matter? When do they matter? (2) To provide a set of diagnostic tools to examine the structure of a network. Who talks with whom? Are the people who should be talking to each other actually talking to each other? (3) To distill this research into a set of actionable tools for managers. What policies encourage an effective informal network to emerge in an organization? How do we use existing networks to catalyze collaboration within an organization and/or among organizations?