MODERN CONNECTIONS will discover the problems that exist within the blanket statement that “ we are all connected by six degrees .”
First off , though the average number of links for people who got the material through to the final contact was five or six connections , the majority of the connections that were made ranged from two to ten ( the average was five to six ). This means that roughly half took more than six and roughly half less than six . Well , you say , that ’ s the average and I would agree that there ’ s nothing wrong with addressing this concept by the average , but there ’ s one small problem . The overwhelming majority of people in all of Milgram ’ s studies never got the material to the intended recipient at all !
In Milgram ’ s most successful study , “ 217 chains were started and 64 were completed — a success rate of only 29 %.” (*) That ’ s right — a success rate of less than 1 / 3 of the participants !! So , what this means is that 29 % of the people in Milgram ’ s most successful study were separated on average by six degrees from the final contact person . However , that means that 71 % were NOT CONNECTED AT ALL !
But wait , I ’ m afraid it gets worse . This was Milgram ’ s most successful study . In another of his studies , only 5 % of the participants completed the chain , which means that 95 % of the people in the study never made the link to the person they were supposed to connect to at all — ever !
Don ’ t shoot the messenger , but I am afraid to tell you that we are not “ all ” connected with everyone in the world by Six Degrees of Separation . We ’ re just not … not all of us .
So , why would I , someone who has devoted most of his professional career to business networking , be telling everyone about the Achilles heel of this iconic concept upon which a lot of networking pros hang their hats ?
Well , there are two reasons . First of all , I believe this myth creates complacency . The thought that everyone is absolutely connected to everyone else on the planet by six degrees gives some people a false sense of expectation and thus lulls them into a sense that the connection is bound to happen sooner or later , no matter what they do .
Secondly , and most importantly , the studies ’ findings indicate clearly that some people are better connected than others . I believe that ’ s important because it means that this is a skill that can be acquired . With reading , training , and coaching , people can develop their networking skills , increase their connections , and become part of the roughly 29 % of people that are , in fact , separated from the rest of the world by only six degrees .
Milgram ’ s work was revolutionary . It opened up a whole new world of discussion and understanding . It has , however , been romanticized . The mythical version of his findings does no good for anyone . It gives people a false sense of security or an erroneous world view of the networking process .
I believe we do live in a “ small world ” that is becoming smaller and smaller ; and I also believe it is possible to be connected to anyone in the world by only six degrees .
I just don ’ t believe that “ we are all ” connected by six degrees and Milgram ’ s own findings support that .
The good news in all of this is that it is possible to be part of the 29 % through education , practice , and training . We can be connected to anyone through the power and potential of networking . In fact , by understanding that , we can set ourselves aside from our competition by knowing that being able to make successful connections is not an entitlement . Instead , it is a skill that only some actually develop .
As for the 71 % of people who are not connected and yet still believe in the Six Degrees of Separation concept – keep the faith . You ’ ll always have Santa Claus .
* Could It Be a Big World After All ? The Six Degrees of Separation Myth by Judith S . Kleinfeld , Forthcoming , Society , 2002
Called the “ father of modern networking ” by CNN , Dr . Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author . He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI ( www . bni . com ), the world ’ s largest business networking organization . Dr . Misner is also the Sr . Partner for the Referral Institute , an international referral training company ( www . referralinstitute . com ).
September 2016 ModernBusiness 33