How understanding the signaling within social networks can change the
way we make decisions, work with others, and manage organizations.
How can you know when someone is bluffing? Paying attention? Genuinely
interested? The answer, writes Alex Pentland in Honest Signals, is
that subtle patterns in how we interact with other people reveal our
attitudes toward them. These unconscious social signals are not just a
back channel or a complement to our conscious language; they form a
separate communication network. Biologically based "honest signaling,"
evolved from ancient primate signaling mechanisms, offers an unmatched
window into our intentions, goals, and values. If we understand this
ancient channel of communication, Pentland claims, we can accurately
predict the outcomes of situations ranging from job interviews to first
dates.
Pentland, an MIT professor, has used a specially designed digital sensor
worn like an ID badge--a "sociometer"--to monitor and analyze the
back-and-forth patterns of signaling among groups of people. He and his
researchers found that this second channel of communication, revolving
not around words but around social relations, profoundly influences
major decisions in our lives--even though we are largely unaware of it.
Pentland presents the scientific background necessary for understanding
this form of communication, applies it to examples of group behavior in
real organizations, and shows how by "reading" our social networks we
can become more successful at pitching an idea, getting a job, or
closing a deal. Using this "network intelligence" theory of social
signaling, Pentland describes how we can harness the intelligence of our
social network to become better managers, workers, and communicators.
