Network awareness: social network search, innovation and productivity in organisations

The 50-year tradition of social network analysis has much to offer modern organisations. At one level, it has shown ways to see how informal organisation influences the formal one. At another it has been able to show some of the patterns of human interaction that lead to innovation and creativity. The ability to use this knowledge to improved productivity, innovation and decision making requires understanding of the influence of network structures on the individual and the organisation, and knowledge of how the individual and organisational institutions affect the networks. This paper gives examples of this and introduces the concept of network awareness. Network awareness is a multileveled concept that includes people's awareness of the networks around them, the strategy of becoming more aware of networks, and the processes and tools to help aid this strategy.

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