Theoretical and simulation approaches centrality in social networks

Abstract

Centrality is an important concept in the study of social networks, which in turn are important in studying organisational and team behaviour. For example, “central” individuals influence information flow and decision-making within a group. However, the relationship between mathematical measures of centrality on the one hand, and the real-world phenomenon of centrality on the other, is somewhat unclear. In this paper, we provide two additional perspectives: An analysis of real-world social-network data, and a study of networks produced by a simulation process. Comparing the two perspectives leads to recommendations on when to use different centrality measures.