Structural holes theory
Digressing from ties and groups, there is also a great deal of literature documenting the positive association between network position and performance. Burt postulates that one can optimize one’s network by efficiently maintaining one’s ties in non-redundant contacts such that one is effectively connected to a diverse variety of groups of closely connected contacts (e.g., a clique), where the groups themselves are not connected. The bridging of such holes within the network structure is termed structural holes, which yields information and control benefits. Thus, two network design principles in play here are efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency entails maximizing the number of non-redundant contacts to maximize the gains through structural holes. Effectiveness means the preservation of primary contacts in the network considering also the contact’s diversity principle. As documented in the section on Measures below, the measure of efficiency incorporates effectiveness as well.