Research: Social Networks

Many organizations recognize that winning and growing complex accounts requires more than engaging formal decision makers. Yet commercial strategies are still often guided by organizational charts, role descriptions, or assumed stakeholder relationships. While convenient, these tools rarely capture how influence, information, and decisions actually flow within large customer organizations. As a result, sales teams frequently invest time in individuals with limited real influence, overlook informal actors who shape outcomes behind the scenes, and misunderstand how buying coalitions form and evolve.

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This research applies Social Network Analysis to uncover the real structure of relationships inside customer organizations. Rather than relying on assumptions or anecdotal insight, Social Network Analysis examines how people actually interact: who consults whom, who influences decisions, and where information flows or stalls. The result is a data-driven map of influence and decision-making that reflects how the organization functions in practice, not just how it appears formally.

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In commercial environments, purchasing decisions rarely depend on a single individual. Instead, they emerge from networks of formal leaders, technical experts, informal authorities, and cross-functional contributors. These networks are often fluid and difficult for external teams to observe directly. Traditional stakeholder models, based on hierarchy or job titles, frequently misrepresent these dynamics. Social Network Analysis offers a more accurate alternative by capturing the relational patterns that determine how decisions unfold and who truly shapes outcomes.

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The study uses a structured research design in which participants provide insight into their working relationships, including consultation, collaboration, expertise, and approval dependencies. These relational data are analyzed using established Social Network Analysis techniques to identify key influencers, brokers, and gatekeepers; uncover tightly connected subgroups; and reveal bottlenecks or vulnerabilities in decision flows. This approach exposes gaps between formal authority and actual influence, highlighting where decisions are enabled, delayed, or redirected.

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Beyond mapping relationships, the research links network patterns to commercial outcomes such as deal progression, purchasing decisions, and account expansion. This makes it possible to identify which influence structures support success and which introduce friction or risk. For participating organizations, the value lies not only in understanding who matters, but in understanding how influence dynamics shape results over time.

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Participation benefits

• A clear, evidence-based view of how decisions are made in your organization, revealing influence and power dynamics beyond formal roles and reporting lines.

• Identification of the individuals and connections that most strongly shape commercial outcomes, enabling more focused engagement and more effective account strategies.

• Actionable insight into strengths, bottlenecks, and risks within decision networks, supporting improved forecasting, relationship management, and long-term commercial performance.

 

By combining academic rigor with practical commercial relevance, this research helps organizations see themselves more clearly, engage more effectively, and navigate complex stakeholder environments with greater confidence