Valuing Social Connections

A team of researchers from International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) released a very interesting piece of academic research this week, which presents some findings from a study of “the largest organizational social network ever collected.”  The researchers collected and mined data related to c. 400,000 IBM employees.  The researchers further focused on a subset of that dataset — 2,600 consultants — to draw insights on how connectedness impacts the productivity of employees who generate revenues by logging billable hours.

What makes the study so interesting — in addition to the extraordinarily huge dataset used — is that it is one of the first attempts I’ve seen to assign a currency-based value to social network connections.  In this case, the social network is based in email; it lives in IBM’s internal deployment of Lotus Notes.

The study associates incremental revenue earned by a consultant with both individual and project-level email activity.  For example, the study finds that if an IBM consultant uses email to reach out to a manager that is not his direct supervisor, he produces, on average, an additional $588/month in revenue as compared to a consultant that only interfaces with her direct manager.

This is fascinating stuff, and my head is spinning with the possibilities of how this might be applied to inter-enterprise interactions conducted via emergent social software, rather than through well-institutionalized email.  I just came across this study today and haven’t had time to properly digest it yet, but will do so and comment further.  In the meanwhile, I invite you to read it for yourself and leave observations and  comments here.

Taken Out of Context

I had the good fortune to be interviewed for a Wall Street Journal article that was published yesterday (Feb. 3). The story discussed how recently unemployed individuals are filling their free time with Internet activities. Unfortunately, much of the piece was devoted to online gaming, in which I have not participated before or since the day I was laid off.

It would have been nice of the reporter to inform me at the beginning of our interview that Internet gaming and entertainment was the central focus of the article, but she did not. Part way through our conversation, she did ask me whether or not I played online games. The question seemed odd — out of place — given that I thought we were talking about how recently unemployed people were using blogs and Twitter to forge and maintain relationships, create and enhance personal branding, position as an expert in a particular subject matter area, and even land a job.

I’m writing this post because I felt a strong need to go on the record and state that the section of the article that references and quotes me (see below) only scratches the surface of what the reporter and I discussed during our 22+ minute conversation. We did talk about how I was staying in touch with former IBM colleagues via Twitter and how that was proving to be valuable. However, we also talked about how social media can connect unemployed individuals with work and new business opportunities. We discussed how blogging and Twittering can make an individual’s expertise known to a peer community, which is especially useful for someone whose previous job did not afford that kind of visibility outside of the company for which he worked. And we talked about how great it is that these social networking and media tools are free — an attractive proposition for someone who is unemployed (see my previous post, Social Software: The Unemployed Knowledge Worker’s Best Friend)

I am very pleased to have made the editor’s cut and been included in any article in such a respected and widely-read publication as The Wall Street Journal. I just wish that my story and remarks had been placed in an article that took a different, less frivolous, look at how recently unemployed folks are using the Internet.

“Larry Hawes, 47, was laid off from his job as a consultant at International Business Machines Corp. in November. But he has never lost touch with his former co-workers. The Ipswich, Mass., resident spends a lot more time building up his personal blog, which is dubbed “Together, We Can!” He also sends out more Twitters, a service for broadcasting short messages to a circle of friends and associates. He says he is on Twitter all day, sending out about 10 posts a day to a group of 137 people, including former IBM colleagues and other friends. In total, he adds, he’s sent out 652 “tweets” since October.

“I’m maintaining relationships with IBM-ers because I don’t work there anymore,” says Mr. Hawes.”

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

Jimmy Buffett penned a great song after his native Gulf Coast had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  Like most Buffett ballads, it has a memorable tune and great lyrics.  But one doesn’t need to go further than the title to find the full message — Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.  Jimmy’s sage advice to Katrina victims was collect yourself and move forward.

I don’t mean to compare my lot with the suffering of those caught in Katrina’s path, but I am experiencing a setback that reminds me of Buffett’s song.

I have been laid off by IBM after 4+ years with the company.  Today is my final one as an employee of Big Blue.

I won’t go into the circumstances of my employment termination here, because I think it isn’t appropriate to discuss such things in public.  I certainly wouldn’t use this medium to rant against IBM for any reason.  I’m simply sharing the news of my layoff so I can begin to move forward, hopefully with your moral and active support.  Breathe in, breathe out, move on…

I have been a thought leader, researcher, consultant, and educator in the domains of collaboration and knowledge management for the last 10 years.  I would like to continue to work in that realm, as my passion is helping people connect with others so they can do whatever they do more efficiently and effectively.  While I’m not sure what my next role in this ever-evolving space will be, I do know that I have no interest in working under a body shop consulting model — ever again!

As I move on, I will appreciate receiving any information about relevant job openings and business opportunities that you can pass my way.  You may contact me at any of the following:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/lehawes
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lehawes
e-mail: lehawes@gmail.com

Thanks in advance for your assistance while I’m seeking employment.  I will, of course, continue blogging, twittering, and otherwise making my views known on collaboration and a wide variety of other topics.  I look forward to continuing our conversations both during this personal transition and after I’ve settled in a new job.