University of Colorado Doctoral Student Wins Second Annual Visible Path Social Network Analysis Award
Joy Godesiabois, a Ph.D. candidate in strategy and entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado, won the second annual Visible Path Graduate Student Award for new research on social networks and professional performance, the International Network for Social Network Analysis announced (INSNA) at the Sunbelt XXVII international social network conference here today. Research finds that indirect network connections affect a start-up's perception of legitimacy and other intangibles as much as direct connections.
Corfu, Greece (PRWEB) May 7, 2007 -- Joy Godesiabois, a Ph.D. candidate in strategy and entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado, won the second annual Visible Path Graduate Student Award for new research on social networks and professional performance, the International Network for Social Network Analysis announced (INSNA) at the Sunbelt XXVII international social network conference here today.
Studies on entrepreneurs' social networks have shown founders' relationships are important resources to an entrepreneurial firm. Yet the vast majority of this research investigates only direct network ties (contacts) and does not consider indirect ties (contacts of contacts).
The winning Visible Path Student Award paper by Godesiabois and co-author Dr. Elaine Mosakowski focuses on how social network relations affect entrepreneurial firms' legitimacy and access to resources. In particular, the study takes a close look at the role indirect ties play and at the characteristics of the intermediary in an indirect tie.
Key findings and conclusions include the following:
| | - Indirect ties are as important as direct ties.
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| | - The measure of the status (by title) of the intermediary does not have significant influence on a positive outcome.
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| | - Ties between people with similar titles and roles had a negative influence on results, perhaps because of perceived competition.
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| | - Results from contacts inside the firm, who have considerable private information but also considerable incentive to distort the information, are comparable to results from intermediaries who are independent outsiders, with minimal private information but minimal incentive to distort the information.
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| | - The middle ground, comprising intermediaries who have some insider information but also have some incentive to distort any private information obtained - were the least desirable type of intermediary, perhaps because they may generate the least credible, private information of any type of network tie.
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"It is not only important to be connected yourself or to be connected to connected people, but to also understand the nature of the ties between your connections and their connections," says Godesiabois, who has a bachelors of science in accounting from Colorado State University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
For example, the research suggests that if the founder of a start-up is seeking funding from venture capitalists, he or she might contact venture capitalists because of the direct ties the founder has to them. However, an introduction by a private investor may increase the likelihood of receiving the funding, and an introduction by a less relevant sibling intermediary or another venture capitalist could be the least likely to increase a positive outcome.
Godesiabois designed research to test hypotheses with data from an entrepreneurial firm introducing its new product to the marketplace. The start-up firm held several marketing events and used its network of both direct and indirect ties to gain introductions to potential customers. While the use of data from a single start-up firm limits the broad application of the results, it helped the researchers isolate the roles played by different types of network relations in this instance.
The award, created by Visible Path and INSNA, carries a $5,000 prize plus paid expenses to INSNA's annual Sunbelt conference, where the winner presents the paper to an international audience of over 500 network researchers. It is awarded in recognition of research on how social networks are used to improve individual and inter-organizational performance. The 2007 Sunbelt XXVII is being held May 1st though 6th on the Greek island of Corfu.
"Congratulations to Ms. Godesiabois. We're proud to present this award for the second year running and we're looking forward to reviewing new research for the 2008 award," said Bill Richards, INSNA president and professor of communication at Simon Fraser University.
This year's winning paper, "Resources Once-Removed: Network Ties As Catalysts For Resource Acquisition In Entrepreneurial Firms" is available at www.centralityjournal.com.
Instructions for applying to the 2008 award are available at www.insna.org.
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