Network Connection Density

People come together to form a group to achieve certain objectives.? These could be for financial, social or personal benefits. The benefits derived from joining a group depend on the ‘Network Value’, which is a term often used to describe how effective the group is in achieving its objectives. A group with a high network value means the members will gain higher rewards.

The challenge is in arriving at the ‘Network Value’ of a group. The network’s value depends on the depth of the inter-relationships and the frequency of interaction.

A group of people can collaborate, cooperate, and promote each other if the intensity of the connection between them is high. A network is strong when the nodes (people) are connected to each other and there are multiple paths from one node to another.

I am suggesting in this article an approach that can make a network of people become more effective in achieving the personal and professional objectives of growth through collaboration, cooperation, and mutual support.? Let’s start by first computing the Network Value and then working towards enhancing it.

Depth Survey

The intensity of the relationship between any two members of the group can be measured through a survey across all members. Ask a member to rate the depth of the relationship with another member on a scale of 1 to 10.

Say, in a group of 20 people, a single member rates their relationship depth with the 19 other members to arrive at the average intensity rate of their connections.? When this exercise is conducted for all 20 members, the average of connections reveals the connection density of the group. It would be rare that a member will rate Zero for another member in a small group, but larger groups may have members who have zero relationship value.

The depth rating is independent of the frequency of interaction, but most likely a higher frequency of interaction may result in a higher depth rating. However, in this method, we focus only on the depth of the relationship.

Let’s take an example of two members in a group. Member #1 has the following depth rating.

The average rating works out to 5.33.

Another member, say Member #7, may mark the following rating:

The average works out to 4.55.? When the score for these two members is averaged it works out to 4.94.? This is the Network Value (NV) of the group.

This easily indicates that an ineffective network needs some work to be done to increase its value.

Delusion Value

Another factor to consider is the difference in mutual rating.

When we look at the difference in the rating of Member #1 & Member #7 with each other, we find that there is a gap between their individual perception of their mutual depth.? Member #1 rates the relationship with Member #7 at 8, while Member #7 rates the relationship with Member #1 at 3.? There is a difference of 5 between each other’s perceptions. While Member #1 may feel close to Member #7, the reverse is not true.

A higher average of these differences in a network of people is an indication of a delusional network which we can term as its Delusion Value (DV)

Having identified the network value and the delusion value, we can take steps to increase the NV and reduce the DV.

Increasing the NV (Network Value)

To increase the NV, the most apparent way is to increase the frequency of interaction. These are achieved by 1-2-1 meetings, participating in each other’s social engagements, and more importantly, being present during the group’s meetings and events.

To increase the depth of the relationship between the members the topics of discussion must be of a deeper nature. Discussing important business and personal matters with openness and being vulnerable is one such approach.

Decreasing the DV (Delusion Value)

Discreetly sharing the DV value with each member without revealing the name will help to draw attention to the difference in perception. Introspection and enriching the engagement with other members may help to bridge the gap.

Regular Review

The NV and DV of the network can be reviewed at periodic intervals by running the survey. A six-month period is a good interval for monitoring the progress and determining additional activities and approaches to increase the NV and reduce the DV.

Try out this method and let me know if this worked to increase the value you enjoy from your group.

I built a sample survey form that can be used to obtain the data required to use the methods suggested here. Contact me if you want me to share you the sample form.