[Viewpoint] The Power of Weak Ties and Organizational Innovation

Jung Hoon, Research Fellow at Hana Financial Management Research Institute, Ph.D. in Business Administration

There is a study that investigated who helped American workers get their current jobs. The analysis showed that 16.7% of people found employment through the help of someone they contacted or met more than twice a week, while 27.8% found jobs through the help of someone they contacted once a year or never contacted at all. In other words, more people got jobs through introductions or help from acquaintances who were not very close rather than from close friends. Although this may seem counterintuitive at first, upon reflection, it is often the case that important help in life comes from people with whom one has relatively shallow relationships. Sociologist Mark Granovetter’s 1973 paper, The Strength of Weak Ties, is regarded as a unique study that sheds new light on the underlying principles of human relationships from a fresh perspective.

So, what is the reason for this? Why does the transmission of important information and help between people occur more frequently in weak, rather than strong, relationships? One common interpretation is that information within one’s close group is likely already known to the individual, so new and useful information is mainly obtained from other groups. There are various other interpretations, and adding my own perspective, it can be summarized that from the recipient’s point of view, receiving help from a close friend carries the burden of reciprocation, while from the hiring company’s perspective, recommendations from close friends may be viewed with less objectivity, leading to such results. From the helper’s standpoint, providing important information to others carries the risk of unexpected negative outcomes and potential blame, which may lead them to offer help more often to acquaintances who are at a moderate distance rather than close friends. Another interpretation is that feelings of loss of homogeneity and jealousy that arise when someone in the same group succeeds may suppress assistance to close friends.

Although decades have passed since the paper was published, the conclusion that “weak ties” can be more important than “strong ties” remains intriguing. But what if we extend the principle of the power of weak ties that exist between individuals to the relationship between individuals and organizations? Actions that make a real contribution to an organization are not only performed by members who are highly loyal and have worked there for a long time?that is, those strongly connected to the organization. The more long-term employees there are within an organization, the more likely it is to find a tendency to avoid change and innovation and to stick to existing work practices. On the other hand, fresh and unexpected ideas and creative innovations often emerge from newcomers who are not yet deeply immersed in the organization?that is, those weakly connected. For this reason, it is crucial to design organizational structures so that long-serving members who have dedicated themselves to the organization and young, fresh talent can harmonize both quantitatively and qualitatively.

However, it is not uncommon to operate organizations mainly with experienced veterans for the sake of immediate ease in carrying out tasks and to assign important work only to those who have been doing it for a long time. This is because it is a safe choice with a low probability of failure and guaranteed visible results. Of course, this can hinder the organization’s sustainable growth in the long term, and if this phenomenon becomes entrenched, learning and knowledge dissemination within the organization naturally shrink. Moreover, young talents are likely to be stuck with menial tasks and become demotivated, making it difficult to expect innovative thinking and challenges from the organization. To maximize the “power of weak ties” that can exist between individuals and organizations and to create a virtuous cycle for innovation, decisive action is needed to entrust important tasks to fresh and capable talent, and it is equally important to appropriately distribute opportunities so that each member can demonstrate their abilities and take on challenges.