Behind every successful innovator is a smart network.

November 11, 2010

People with eclectic networks are 3 times more innovative than those with predictable ones says a study at Stanford Business School. The more weak ties we nurture - no matter how much energy it might take - the more ideas we have. The more strange and bizarre the connections - even way outside our values system - the better.

In the study, just under 800 grads of the illustrious Stanford Business School were tracked for over time to see how innovative they were. Because they interacted with lots of different folks, they were exposed to a much wider range of ideas and “non-redundant information”. Instead of getting stuck in the rut of conformity – thinking the same tired thoughts as everyone else – they were able to invent startling new concepts. Unless we take our social circle into account – that collection of weak ties and remote acquaintances who feed us unfamiliar facts - we’re not going to really understand the nature of achievement. Behind every successful entrepreneur is a vast network.