Social Network Analysis

What typically happens when someone has a question about how something works in an organization?  Most people don’t wait for the next scheduled training class.  They ask someone they think will have the answer.

80% of learning is informal.  Information travels through the unofficial channels of an organization where people go to access and absorb it.  Orbital RPM’s Social Network Analysis service uncovers these channels so that they can be supported and maintained.  Our detailed process and output highlight natural starting points for where to allocate resources and time that will have the best chances of starting or sustaining a thriving knowledge community.

Providing a view of where people go for answers reveals the critical personnel in organizations regardless of their title.  An administrative assistant may turn out to be the crucial link between two dispersed departments.  A junior researcher may be keeping multiple divisions informed about the latest developments on a project for which all of the divisions are accountable.

The side benefits of Orbital RPM’s Social Network Analysis are numerous.  The same social network maps that are produced by our process can also be used for decisions on promotions, budgets, knowledge transfer and countless other areas.

Orbital RPM’s Social Network Analysis helps clients discover how information flows through their organization and how to support the healthiest and most productive routes.