We have found social network analysis (SNA)-a set of tools for mapping important knowledge transfer relationships between people or departments-to be valuable for improving collaboration and knowledge transfer in both formal organizational settings and in marketing campaigns.

The social network discipline is growing in importance for the following reasons. First, is the acceptance of the importance of the informal structure within an organization or community that coexists with the formal structure of an organization. Even in the most hierarchical organizations, individuals have always interacted with each other in ways that are not specified in any organization chart. Second, is the development of flatter, more flexible, geographically-separated, team-oriented organizations that are more reliant on knowledge assets. With this migration to organic, network-like structures, there is obviously a need to understand how these structures work and how to manage them. The third reason is the rapid growth in cross-organizational relationships -outsourcing, joint ventures, alliances, multi-organizational project work. Virtual organizations bring with them new management challenges about how to manage work in the absence of strict reporting relationships.

Social network analysis - Uses

Network analysis is emerging as the tool of choice for helping organizations handle a number of classic situations, including:

* Leader selection-Who is central in the trust and respect network?
* Sales force or task force selection-How do we put together a team that is maximally connected throughout the organization?
* Mergers and acquisition-How do we merge two cultures and two networks?

Social network analysis and knowledge dissemination

Social network analysis allows managers to visualize and understand the relationships that can either help or impede knowledge creation and transfer. How does information flow within a community? To whom do people turn for advice? Have subgroups emerged that are not sharing what they know as effectively as they should?

These are questions that can be explored and answered through analysis of a social network diagram-a map of individuals and the social ties that link them together. The key feature of these diagrams lies with in the pattern of relationships displayed and the relative position of individuals (or groups) to each other