Self-similar community structure in organisations

TL;DR

This paper investigates the community structure of an organization's email network, revealing self-similar properties that suggest universal mechanisms in informal network formation and evolution.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of self-similar community structures in organizational informal networks using real email data.

Findings

Discovery of self-similar community patterns

Evidence of universal mechanisms in network formation

Implications for organizational management and dynamics

Abstract

The formal chart of an organisation is designed to handle routine and easily anticipated problems, but unexpected situations arise which require the formation of new ties so that the corresponding extra tasks can be properly accomplished. The characterisation of the structure of such informal networks behind the formal chart is a key element for successful management. We analyse the complex e-mail network of a real organisation with about 1,700 employees and determine its community structure. Our results reveal the emergence of self-similar properties that suggest that some universal mechanism could be the underlying driving force in the formation and evolution of informal networks in organisations, as happens in other self-organised complex systems.