What is network mapping?

network mapping (noun)

The visualization and analysis of relationships, influence patterns, and information flows within organizations or communities.

Org charts may present tidy hierarchies, but real influence flows through relationships.

Network science — the study of complex relationship patterns and how they shape outcomes — provides a framework for understanding the hidden dynamics that often matter more than formal titles. MIT Sloan’s Dean Eckles, Kate Isaacs, Alex “Sandy” Pentland, and Ezra Zuckerman Sivan are among the advocates of network mapping, a tool within the discipline that helps people visualize patterns of trust, credibility, and shared values and make them actionable.

Writing in “The New Localism” newsletter with Drexel University’s Bruce Katz, Isaacs says network mapping drives innovation by revealing who connects to whom and how information and resources move through networks, organizations, and communities. The practice can help identify crucial “network connectors” who possess the relationships needed to co-design projects, organize capital, and deliver results.

The approach has proved effective across contexts. Italian researchers recently used network mapping to analyze relationships within the College of Cardinals ahead of the papal election. Their analysis ranked Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost — later named Pope Leo XIV — in the top spot on the “status” metric, measured by his many connections to decision makers, and to the most influential ones.

And cities like Pittsburgh and St. Louis are applying the method to capitalize on their distinctive competitive assets, mapping connections forged through location, university, or employer to drive change in their communities.

Cities and the Heightened Relevance of Network Science