MB 814 Social Networks

Organization Studies Dept., Boston College

Index Number 8290

Fulton Hall 220. Tues 7-9:30.

Prof. Steve Borgatti (borgatts@bc.edu )

Managers know that relationships are important. However, because social ties are subjective and intangible, managers often neglect them in favor of hard financial data. The emerging field of organizational social network analysis promises to change that, making the invisible visible. This course surveys organizational social network analysis from the manager’s point of view. Essentially, the course tries to answer the question ‘How does adopting a social network perspective help me manage better?’. We will cover social network concepts, such as degrees of separation, centrality and social capital, as well as network theory, such as how network structure is related to innovation, or how position in a network translates to power. In addition, we will use social network analysis software to map and analyze real organizational data.