Innovators Talk: Networked Networks
Julia Freeland Fisher, Author of "Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students’ Networks", and Director of Education at the Clayton Christensen Institute
Key Takeaways:
Inherited Networks: Students are arriving on your campus with access to an inherited network. These are connections that their parents or family members may have that a student subsequently has access to as well. Of course, the size of that network depends on many different factors. It’s important to ensure that students without a substantial inherited network (or none at all) receive guidance on how to build the social capital that grows into opportunity.
Strong Ties vs. Weak Ties: A strong tie is a relationship that can be very personal and where there is a high degree of trust. These relationships can also require a high degree of bandwidth. On the other hand, weak ties may be less personal, require less bandwidth, but provide access to new information and new opportunities just the same. Cultivating both in an individual’s network can provide the most benefit to a knowledge and opportunity seeker.
Integrated Student Support: How intentional is the support structure for students? Instead of aid efforts that address a point-in-time for students on their journey, higher education should seek to “surround students with a web of support” that is continuous. This not only advances their academic success but also helps “combat some of the isolation that a first-generation student might feel on campus.” By strategically creating this web, colleges and universities can create a powerful network of support that lasts throughout a student’s journey and beyond graduation.
Institutions as Brokers of Social Capital: Higher Education has traditionally been a non-purposeful broker of this capital. Colleges and universities create a space (the campus) where people can run into each other and make organic connections. Now, we need to think critically about creating spaces for connections to continue to flourish — both digitally and in-person.
“This to me is a really important organizing philosophy. As you think about how are we doing as an institution in brokering and building our students networks...not everything has to be a mentor capital relationship to be valuable to your students. It can be an array of relationships that students are accessing to serve different purposes and open different doors in their lives.”
As we look at the new student journey, surrounding students with a variety of relationships can best ensure they feel supported and that they have access to the knowledge and opportunity that will enable them to be successful. This is too critical to be left to chance. Institutions need to intentionally and strategically build integrated networks where students can access this web of strong and weak ties that will lead them to success.
Learn more about how PeopleGrove is supporting higher education in strategically building these webs.
Read Julia’s latest piece in the Hechinger Report and learn more about Julia’s book Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations That Expand Students' Networks.
You can also visit the Christensen Institute's website to learn more about this research at https://whoyouknow.org/.
