It is no surprise that many, if not most, good executives develop and maintain a robust Rolodex of associates and contacts to connect themselves to the world. These contacts are developed through many means including board positions, professional associations and previous business interactions. Yet, what is the true value of these relationships? How real are they? What depth do they have? What economic and utility do they hold? And finally, do leaders know what to do once they hold these relationships? While it is intuitive that the size of a network someone holds has utility, the truth is the depth also plays a role. It is imperative to an organizational leader’s success, as well as their career opportunities that these relationships depend on relationship strength.
In 1973 Mark Granovetter published his now famous study, The Strength of Weak Ties, which highlighted the value and power of holding weak relationships. In his research, he determined that people would most likely find jobs through acquaintances rather than closer relationships. This theory claims our weaker relationships provide bridges to many other networks that we just would not otherwise have access too. Simply put, the more bridges (weaker relationships) we have to other networks, provide much more information, access and value. This theory made sense three decades ago, but much has changed since then.
In today’s fast pace world, firms and people need more information, must make faster decisions and be able to quickly respond to opportunities. Few would doubt this reality. In addition, our organizations have changed to meet these challenges. Specifically, flat organizational charts, concepts of employee empowerment and team dynamics are talked and written about extensively. To fuel these trends, our social relationships have shifted from the communities we live in to the workplace. Gone are the days when local social clubs satisfied our social desires. We hang out with the people we work with, have dinner with clients and associates and even take our family on vacation with our firm. The 1970 dynamics that existed for social arraignments and organizational structure have shifted. So must the relationships that support these new social arraignments. Therefore, the issue of relationship strength utility (strong or weak) shifts from how many to how many is too much.