Comments on: ChunkIt’s Evolution of Search http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/2008/12/21/chunkits-evolution-of-search/ by Stephen E. Arnold Thu, 24 May 2012 16:47:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Stephen E. Arnold http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/2008/12/21/chunkits-evolution-of-search/comment-page-1/#comment-34106 Stephen E. Arnold Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:52:00 +0000 http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/?p=3651#comment-34106 Marc, Thanks for the thoughtful post. A happy quack to you. The pig is quite disgusting I assert. Happy holidays too. Stephen Arnold, December 21, 2008 Marc,

Thanks for the thoughtful post. A happy quack to you. The pig is quite disgusting I assert. Happy holidays too.

Stephen Arnold, December 21, 2008

]]> By: marc arenstein http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/2008/12/21/chunkits-evolution-of-search/comment-page-1/#comment-34090 marc arenstein Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:15:38 +0000 http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/?p=3651#comment-34090 As distinct from web searching, enterprise search assumes an imperfect search system where some of the search takes place through people. This paper (source below) which claims to be the first to examine primary data on unfolding search chains gets inside the black box of how employees actually search (or don't search) for in-house experts. The main finding is that members of out-groups - those employees with low network centrality, short tenure and women - experience a form of systemic information discrimination by having longer search chains to reach in-house experts than in-group members. Employees tend to base their search - especially in work environments with high degrees of hierarchy and centralization - on what is safe, appropriate and familiar. This assumes a social fabric surrounding search steps. My take is that the kind of "social" present in Web 2.0 search does not tackle this problem, assuming a world already flat; Google helps flatten the world of information but not organizations (except perhaps its own) through web search. For enterprise itself, it can, at best offer rules with its GSA to go beyond this conundrum but that would mean talking formal talk to formal organizations to arrive at informal search practice breaking the out-group in-group barrier. The World is Not Small for Everyone: Pathways of Discrimination in Searching for Information in Organizations by Jasjit Singh et al, INSEAD Faculty & Research Working Paper http://www.insead.fr/facultyresearch/research/doc.cfm?did=24502 If inaccessible, free registration http://www.insead.fr/facultyresearch/research/mysubscription.cfm As distinct from web searching, enterprise search assumes an imperfect search system where some of the search takes place through people. This paper (source below) which claims to be the first to examine primary data on unfolding search chains gets inside the black box of how employees actually search (or don’t search) for in-house experts. The main finding is that members of out-groups – those employees with low network centrality, short tenure and women – experience a form of systemic information discrimination by having longer search chains to reach in-house experts than in-group members. Employees tend to base their search – especially in work environments with high degrees of hierarchy and centralization – on what is safe, appropriate and familiar. This assumes a social fabric surrounding search steps.

My take is that the kind of “social” present in Web 2.0 search does not tackle this problem, assuming a world already flat; Google helps flatten the world of information but not organizations (except perhaps its own) through web search. For enterprise itself, it can, at best offer rules with its GSA to go beyond this conundrum but that would mean talking formal talk to formal organizations to arrive at informal search practice breaking the out-group in-group barrier.

The World is Not Small for Everyone: Pathways of Discrimination in Searching for Information in Organizations by Jasjit Singh et al, INSEAD Faculty & Research Working Paper
http://www.insead.fr/facultyresearch/research/doc.cfm?did=24502
If inaccessible, free registration http://www.insead.fr/facultyresearch/research/mysubscription.cfm

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