Theorising professional networks

Just a quick post to encourage you to visit the excellent professional network maps created by groups at the BAPP campus session October 2010. There are three sets so do search them out on Paula's Blog. These provide a rich picture of a variety of ways of thinking about professional networks.

A useful exercise would be to re-read the course reader of ‘The Networked Professional’ and use the theoretical perspectives therein to explore the various maps created at the session to create your own map.

During the session I was thinking about the maps and a network theory perspective seeing my network as a ‘system’ and thought this might add something:

1. My professional network may be thought of as having points (nodes) and connections. Connections can be rich in quality, frequent, have travel in one or both directions. Nodes and connections can form complex systems;

2. These may strengthen or weaken over time or be seasonal in nature;

3. My professional network may be thought of as having people, sources and resources and different distances from me. Some are close, important and which I sustain. Others are more distant, less used, and less important;

4. The quality and frequency of interaction between me and another person / information source are not the same. I may have frequent and low importance linking in my network, while important links may be infrequent;

5. While I might have all sorts of feelings about individuals within my network, I can also think of it objectively using this sort of network-systems approach, which can help me to plan and maintain my professional network?