Lesson 4: Local Networks

Networks

• Type of relation that links certain sets of people, events, or objects

• Connections, linkages, and relationships grow wider and more complex

• A network is a group of people whom we interact daily

• It provides us the opportunity to interact with people outside of our regular social circle

• It is vital also to entrepreneurs, professionals, and job seekers.

Nodes

• Networks are a ‘set of nodes and set of ties’ (Brass, 1994: 42). The things that are connected are usually called nodes.

• Might be a person, a computer or even a hyperlinked text.

• The connections between hubs are called “associations” and here and there called “edges”

Social Network

A social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors.

Strategic Thinking

• To create a strategy

• Drawn from facts, data, and instructions at hand

• Using one’s rationality or reason, the organization's surrounding and resources, and how they relate with each other to formulate a strategy to meet objectives and improve performance

• Mission → main task

Intuitive Thinking

• Something that is known or understood without proof or evidence

• One’s hunch and gut feeling without knowing the reason why

• Sensing or knowing without using rational processes such as reading facts and instructions

• Vision → foresees itself to be

6 Elements of Strategic Thinking

1. The ability to participate

2. The ability to challenge

3. The ability to interpret

4. The ability to decide

5. The ability to align

6. The ability to learn

The ability to anticipate

It enables the executives to not only focus on the current situation but also to look at the future.

The ability to challenge

It involves raising questions instead of merely accepting information as it comes

The ability to interpret

It is shown by testing a variety of hypotheses as well as comparing and contrasting certain data prior to making decisions on particular issues

The ability to decide

It enables the executive to make a stand with courage and conviction despite incomplete information at hand

The ability to align

It enables the executive to have different divergent viewpoints, opinions and agenda to attain common goals and to pursue mutual interests

The ability to learn

It is demonstrated by an executive who accepts feedback, constructive criticism, and even failure which are altogether viewers as sources of critical and valuable insights

Phase 1: Establishing the Identity of the Organization.

• Who or What the organization is, where it wants to be, and where it is now.

• Organization’s core values, mission and vision, objectives or strategic priorities, members and stakeholders, and partners and competitors

• Both internal and external environments are taken into consideration

Phase 2: Developing and Implementing an Action Plan or Strategy to Attain Priorities.

• “How will the organization get to where it wants to go?”

• Goals and outcomes, structural and financial changes, and other initiatives of the organization.

Phase 3: Evaluating how the organization manages its action toward its priorities.

• How well the organization knows its performance

• Needs performance standards and measurements or yardsticks such as monthly or annual reports

Political Networks

Composed of relations with government officials, student government, and community leaders, among others.

Economic networks

Cover the manufacturers, agents, money leaders, and sellers of the goods you consume.

Sociocultural or social networks

Those belonging to major and minor social organizations.

Community

Refers to a particular geographic location with people living under the same set of laws and recognizing common leaders.

Social Capital

It is the value you can derive from your social connections which are characterized by trust, cooperation, doing things for each other, and other beneficial relations.

Center of Influence

• The one person to whom people gravitate around.

• Path length → Knowing the distance of one person from all others whom he or she is interacting with.