Data Skeptic

Organizational Networks

Feb 25, 2025
Hiroki Sayama, a SUNY Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Complex Systems at Binghamton University, shares his expertise on network science in organizational settings. He discusses how organizational network structures affect decision-making and creativity. Hiroki reveals that sparse connections can lead to more innovative ideas than highly interconnected teams. Additionally, he highlights the impact of team size and proximity to leadership on performance, emphasizing the importance of diverse clusters for fostering creativity.
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INSIGHT

Org Charts vs. Real Networks

  • Organizational charts are imagined networks, not real-world ones, reflecting the creator's perception.
  • They don't reveal actual decision-making processes or informal influences within the organization.
ANECDOTE

ChatGPT and Org Charts

  • Asaf experimented with an organizational chart and ChatGPT.
  • ChatGPT successfully generated an edge list from the chart.
INSIGHT

The Challenge of Unstructured Data

  • Most organizational charts are published as images, not computer-readable data.
  • This lack of structured data hinders quantitative research on organizational structures.
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