Design for Complexity: The Hidden Power of Networks
I recently moderated a fascinating session at the World Economic Forum 'Summer Davos' in Tianjin, China. Two network scientists, Cesar Hidalgo of MIT and Albert-Laszlo Barabasi of Harvard, discussed the underlying science of how networks operate and how this knowledge might be applied to business and economics.
At the outset of network science a key question was raised: are networks random? If so, all nodes would be more or less similar to each other. But that is not the case. The reality is that certain nodes have more connections than others and play the role of hubs. New nodes in a pre-existing network tend to connect with highly connected nodes. After a certain threshold, the removal of highly connected nodes can make a whole network fall apart. Thus interconnectivity is beneficial but also brings in vulnerability: if you and I are connected we can share resources; meanwhile your problems can become mine, and vice versa. This happens in many different kinds of networks, from financial systems to social media to electrical power grids. Numerous complex systems can be mapped and analyzed, such as transportation and biological systems.
Network science and tools are readily available to shed light on factors that were not considered in the past and to inform decisions in many different sectors and organizations. The adoption of network science and tools for decision-making are especially powerful when designing for complexity. Hidalgo even proposed that the future economic growth of nations can be predicted based on an analysis of networks of production.
In our own organizations, network visualizations and analyses can be used to inform management decisions by looking at how employees connect to each other and how information flows through networks.
Here's more from the session on the power of networks: weforum.org/sessions/summary/power-networks.
Urban Technologist I Co-Founder & CEO Urbanetic I Member, advisory committee, City Digital Twins & IoT - World Economic Forum ; Former VP APAC - HP , AT&T-Bell Labs
12 年I have been following Albert-Laszlo since 2003 - he added a completely new perspective the way I looked at things. I begin to apply the thinking to practice innovation and to invent; and now I apply the knowledge in understanding the design of the urban / built environment . The power of networks
Because choices matter!
12 年I work within the world of corrections. When I ponder the "SYSTEM" my mind boggles, yet when i begin to map it visually, I am always astounded at how much more I am able to see, understand, create for...
Executive Coach | Consultant | Behavioral Scientist | Helping individuals, teams, and organizations be better leaders, make better decisions, and drive better outcomes—in business and in life.
12 年Awesome! We have to be careful not to get too caught up only with the technical and structural aspects of the network approach. It's easy to do because computers make it easier for us to analyze larger and more complex networks. And, it's very powerful--by making informal relationships visible, we uncover connections we were not able to see previously. However, understanding what those connections mean is another story. As Valdis alluded to a few days ago, the network approach can be used in a variety of ways to analyze a variety of networks. When dealing with human networks, we have to remember that they are not static, but rather dynamic. Also, if we take a transdisciplinary approach and combine the network approach with other methods from the social sciences (e.g., personality), we begin to develop a deeper, richer understanding of human networks. For example, we can discover why certain people may play certain roles in their networks, as well as how and why certain networks may form the way they do. Very cool stuff.
0 to 1 Expert | ex-Ola, Infosys | GenAI Sales & Marketing | 2x Entrepreneur | Deep Tech Angel Investor | Startup Mentor | Renewable Energy | Business Leader
12 年A very powerful thought - "inter-connectivity is beneficial but also brings in vulnerability". Explains electricity, social media, telecommunication, and what not!
Very interesting indeed - realizing more and more the importance of networks in my daily work! BUT - I find it also difficult to do long term planning, letting inputs from my network influence my actual activities to a certaing degree, as these inputs come on a kind of random basis!!!