Weak Ties in the Workplace
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43588-022-00296-z
It is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has made an impact on the social networks of those in the United States and around the world. The widespread effects of the pandemic ranging from quarantine mandates to financial strain have been influential in the destruction of weak ties in social networks. In May of 2021, many individuals reported they talked to friends less frequently and had fewer close relationships than before, but this raises the question of how many of these connections are necessary for our well-being (Cox, The State of American Friendship: Change, challenges, and loss, 2021). A recent study on the effect of co-location forming ties between coworkers explores what level of in-person interaction would be enough to restore these lost ties. In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, remote work policies were widely adopted and are becoming more normalized in the approaching post-pandemic future. As our world shifts toward the idea of hybrid work environments, I am curious about how social networks will change as a result of these new conditions. I think that attempting to quantify how much real-world interaction will result in the formation of weak ties proves to be a reflection of the increasing tendency to do the minimum necessary to achieve the desired result at work. This lack of engagement could be related to the question of morality that was posed by the pandemic, causing many people to rethink their purpose beyond the office. Overall, I found it particularly interesting how this shifted focus toward one’s own purpose could impact their social network and those that they are connected with.
This study relates to much of what was discussed in the course about social networks, especially the concept of strong and weak ties, as well as the formation (or lack) thereof triadic closures within these networks. As was discussed in class, the importance of weak ties is critical to the expansion of social networks and this study investigates how those important connections can be created and/or maintained in hybrid work culture. Additionally, the principle of triadic closures is most likely being violated in a disconnected virtual world. The three core motivations to form connections are opportunity, trust, and incentive. These basic reasons are all increasingly unnatural if the interaction is limited to a virtual space, especially email. For example, in a remote work setting, there is zero opportunity for an unanticipated encounter in passing in the physical world. All interactions require intention, which takes away from the likelihood of the formation of triadic closures. This study is very similar to the example of the Hewlett Packard Research Lab because both track the social network via traces of online correspondence and in both cases it is email. After reading this study, I am curious to learn more about the implications of the pandemic on social networks, in specific settings, such as the workplace, as well as on a broader scale in the role of friendships in our lives.