The Importance of Strong and Weak Ties in Developing a Successful Organization
When considering the network of an organization, many people comprehend the importance of strong ties between the people in a company. However, many people tend to neglect the necessity of weak ties when they think about creating a successful organization. Weak ties are often perceived in a negative light when considering the network structure of an organization, but they actually have their value. Weak ties are important as they act as a bridge that connects two separate networks. Even if it is weak, the relationship between two separate networks is beneficial to both because it allows new information to be transferred to both networks. This keeps ideas within the organization fresh as there will be lots of new ideas flowing in from other organizations. These bridges of information are also helpful when dealing with a company that has various teams working on different aspects of a project. The weak ties enable the different departments of the company to come together and allow it to function properly and carry out its goals.
This is not to say that strong ties are not as effective in the success of an organization. Strong ties serve the purpose of building a stable relationship between the people – the managers and employees – within an organization’s network. This stability in connections allows for information to flow more effectively between the members of the organization which serves to keep members on track of their jobs and the purpose of the organization. Furthermore, strong ties between members creates a more supportive and cohesive working environment which leads to higher levels of trust for the entire organization. By having great trust between members, teams within the organization can function better and produce better results.
The article I looked at also gave an idea of how to effectively use strong ties to promote leadership development inside the network of an organization through the implementation of a mentorship program. This kind of program allows a strong bond of trust to form between people on different levels of the organization’s structural ladder. Employees would have someone to rely on if they need help and would be able to get feedback on their performance at work from the mentors. This would lead to better employees and a more effective workforce. Furthermore, as the number of employees increases, the employees who worked under a mentor could easily take someone new under their wing and effectively support them since they had sufficient instruction already. By building strong ties within the organization using this method, the company would have a stronger foundation and the work place would be more cohesive which would lead to an overall better and more effective organization.
Therefore, it is optimal for an organization to contain a mixture of both types of ties in its network structure. By having a combination of both strong and weak ties, the network would have a greater amount of information flow than if it only had one and members could effectively work to produce the wanted results. By branching out to people not within their immediate circle, members of the organization can share ideas between different departments and new members wouldn’t feel so out of place among a network full of strong ties. By using both ties in an organization, it will have a much larger chance of success in functioning correctly and fulfilling its goals.
http://blog.lodestar.asu.edu/2012/07/research-friday-importance-of-strong.html