tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post117223120027914134..comments2024-03-28T09:41:15.454-05:00Comments on Deric's MindBlog: Social Networks - the twenty-first century science?Deric Bowndshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617204535017208765noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post-1172405876421029812007-02-25T06:17:00.000-06:002007-02-25T06:17:00.000-06:00Duncan Watts is always a good inspiration in ‘netw...Duncan Watts is always a good inspiration in ‘network affairs’ although I must say I am puzzled by the hype created by the Harvard Business Review ‘breakthrough’ of Duncan Watts apparent discovery that spread of ideas require lots of people with ‘low threshold’ receptiveness to influence - a supposed contradiction tot the presence or need for ‘influencers’. I myself prefer the framework provided by Albert-László Barabási (http://www.nd.edu/~alb/) who in places such as the book “Linked” offers a broader perspective of networks. I have used this approach in my work on organizational change described in my book ‘Viral Change: the alternative to slow, painful and unsuccessful management of change in organizations’ (a short audiovisual can be watched in our website www.thechalfontproject.com) For me real change is viral. It requires a small set of non negotiable behaviours, spread first by a small number of individuals (activists, influencers, champions) creating tipping points via imitation and diffusion and infecting the rest of the organization. Different thresholds are ‘needed’ a different points. It is all-in-one. HBR implication that the real influence has less to do with ‘influencers’ than we think is misleading – But the issue of both (a) internet and (b) computing capacity being able to transform our ideas on behaviours is unquestionable. We still need to put many things together … since we o don’t have an “unified theory” of networks yet. But we are getting closer….!Leandro HerreroAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com