New York Business Consultants LLC

Six degrees of separation and and the small world we live in 

and do business with

by Malko Ebers, CEO New York Business Consultants LLC

Have you heard of Stanley Milgram? He is my very favorite researcher and I would like to share his insight on the six degrees of separation and the small world hypothesis. I studied at Yale SOM, at the ETH Zurich, at University of Constance and wherever I went I came across this name Stanley Milgram. Stanley's hypothesis is that we are all connected and he means all, all of us mankind through six social connections.
This hypothesis has been studied, tested, proven and repeated many times...pick someone on the planet, let's say a rice growing peasant in China and pick someone else...anywhere, in any city, any country, any occupation, done. Then the task is to connect the two through a chain of social contacts friends of friends of friends of...you are getting the point.

How does the magic work? Not all of the social chains can be completed but some do and the stories are quite amazing. First location, then occupation meaning 'yes, I also know someone in that country, in that city', then that person might know also a doctor who then might know a doctor with the same specialization who quite likely has attended an event with that person. The amazing psychologist Stanley Milgram found this out at Yale university and he opened our eyes for what we now call 'network society' (Manuell Castells), the small world phenomenon, information society or just globalization. We are connected in so many ways to an ever increasing number of countries, economies, people, information flows. Take a moment to just realize how many different people were necessary from how many countries to produce the products you consume in a given month.

The world has become a smaller place not since LinkedIn and Facebook or modern travel and container shipments, nor through the internet but since the beginning of Vergesellschaftung 'societization' (Max Weber), trade and tribes developing into cities (Uruk and others) and then modern trading societies.

For business this means to look beyond the horizon, to realize and take advantage of a more diverse, more global workforce than ever before as well as global market opportunities. Look for contacts, friends, B2B partners in other countries, develop a global mindset and be aware that we are really living in a global village. More information and a critical discussion of the small world phenomenon at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation