Social: Theories and Models - Foundations for Designing User-Centered Systems - page 259

(a ) (b)

5

3.5

4

3

3.0

2

2.5

1

0

2.0

c

-1

-2

1.5

-3

1.0

-4

10 30 50 70 90
Inverse Connectedness to Others
(computed variable)

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Inverse Connectedness to Others

Fig. 9.5 Network constraint is a measure of how large, how close, and relative ranks of a
manager's connections. Low constraint indicates a well-connected manager. a Salary versus
inverse network size shows that better connected managers had higher salaries, and
b Ratings of ideas versus inverse network size shows that when two senior managers were
asked to rate ideas the better connected managers had more highly rated ideas (based on
Burt 2004 , Fig. 4 and 5, but drawn with a spreadsheet available on the topic website to
explore this topic)

readings. These frameworks use a high level of abstraction. They provide you
with a way to organize what you learn. It is also worth noting that these
frameworks need not be mutually exclusive. There are systems where multiple
frameworks provide useful insights, and in any analysis of a large system both an
exchange

cost and a network view (or multiple network views) will be

applicable.
One example of the application of these theoretical approaches to keep in mind
regarding the network representation is that a network's value for communication
is approximately equal to the square of the number of people in the network. A
telephone system, or a social web site, with two people has only one connection.
With 4 people there are 12 potential connections, and with 10 people, 90 potential
connections. This is typically called a network effect, and applies when networks
are used for communication or social interaction.

9.3 Higher Social Levels: Organizational and Cultural

There are higher social levels than small groups. These higher levels are focused
less on the user and more on the user's context. They can influence what happens
at the interface between the user and the technology, however, so we describe
them, albeit briefly.