When there is no formal structure in a group of people that interact over any significant amount of time, informal structures appear. Informal structures are communication channels through networks of friends in the group that share similar beliefs and traits that give rise to influence. This is the nature of elites—a small group of insiders that exhibits informal influence over a larger group because they know how decisions are made.
See also:
- This idea comes from my reading of The Tyranny of Structurelessness.
- The concept of elites seem to be explained by dyadic ties in network theory: the stronger the tie between two individuals, the more overlap they have in friendship circles. By definition it is exclusionary and the flow of information is more tightly bound to that group.
- In-group favoritism shows that elites (the in-group) will give preferential treatment to other members of the in-group.
- All bridges are weak ties, for elites that means they can have a wide reach if they also maintain a large number of acquaintances (such as a following on social media).
Links to this note
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Formalized Structures Afford Everyone the Opportunity to Be Involved
When rules are implicit, only those who know how decisions are made can participate. The only way one can know how decisions are made are to spend enough time cultivating friendships with the elites that establish the informal structures of the group. Therefore, informal structures are exclusionary (one must be a member of the elite) and have other negative consequences.