I wasn’t able to continue blogging “live” from the University of Virgina, and it will take more days for me to process my notes and blog here about the essential new stuff that emerged for me. Short term, I came on this Darden School notice that summarized the conference. I came on this while doing some additional research on Andrew Hargadon, whose work on innovation, How Breakthroughs Happen, is inspiring (from a social network point of view, among others I am sure).

The gist, of course, is that innovation is work, and that a key part of the work is understanding how to tap into and manage networks. He has studied the role of “technology brokers,” those individuals span multiple disconnected worlds and move ideas around. (This is another proof point for the strength of weak ties: having multiple diverse networks that can be easily accessed, even if they are not frequently accessed.) His examples, from Apple to P&G;, validate the principle: To build an organization that is capable of innovation, build networks.