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Networking: the theory of six degrees of separation applied to companies

A "small" world
Have you ever remarked that "it's a small world!" after meeting someone who turned out to know someone else you knew, when there was no apparent link between the two? If so, you have met one of the criteria advanced by the authors of the The Frog and Prince¹, who evoke the "smallness" of the world. In doing so, they are alluding to the research carried out by social psychologist Stanley Milgram on how the "six degrees of separation" apply to social networks. This theory refers to the idea that each one of us is linked to everyone else in the world by a maximum of six degrees of separation - or six sets of common acquaintances.

The "small-world" principle based on the theory of six degrees of separation was represented graphically by Duncan Watts and Steve Strogatz². These researchers modelled the phenomenon of six degrees of separation by linking people in an unusual way. By connecting people in a large network with a few random links, they discovered that they could make the rounds of the group more quickly. The following graph representation of their work illustrates the "small world" phenomenon very well. It's a way of seeing our close social network as an avenue that is immensely rich in contacts thanks to certain key, or influential, people³.

Network interrelationships
«Regular»	«Small-word»	«Random»
Increasing randomness
Source: Duncan Watts and Steve Strogatz.

It is important not to discount people considered to be weak ties in our network (people we see only sporadically), because they could have contacts with other influential people⁴. In fact, studies done by Mark Granovetter have shown than more than 80% of job hunters find employment through an acquaintance rather than through a close friend or colleague. This leads us to believe that networking is still, first and foremost, a question of a positive attitude, and we should leave nothing to chance, knowing that our networks of contacts are interrelated. Your next networking cocktail party should thus be seen as an hour of time that is very well spent!