Musings on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Saturday, September 13, 2003Under What Conditions Do FOAF Links Matter?
The other day, Laura Black at the Center for Entrepreneurship for the New West and the Montana State University College of Business asked me a great question: What conditions are required to provide for the trust necessary for transitive linking to work? Transitive linking, or friend-of-a-friend (FOAF) connections, underpins robust social networks. Certainly, if Joe knows and trusts Jane; and Jane knows and trust Shelley; if Jane introduces Joe to Shelley, the chances for a trusting relationship developing between Joe and Shelley go up. But, trust is a complex thing. You may be able to trust me, for example, in regard to my knowledge of entrepreneurial finance, but I can't be trusted to know about database design. How do we manage to quickly make judgements about the right FOAF introductions to make and respond to?
Duncan Watts and his colleagues are looking into the problem, among others. It's important work, because if we can understand the dynamics of functional trust and transitive linking, we might be able to better facilitate connections that translate into social capital. In an entrepreneurial context, that means stimulating relationships that help people achieve their goals.
