David Krackhardt
Carnegie Mellon University
David Krackhardt is Professor of Organizations at the Heinz College and the Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University. Prior appointments include faculty positions at Cornell's Graduate School of Management, the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, INSEAD (France) and the Harvard Business School, and Stanford’s School of Engineering. He received a BS degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD. from the University of California, Irvine. Over the past 35 years, his research has focused on how the theoretical insights and methodological innovations of network analysis can enhance our understanding of how organizations function. He pioneered the concept of "cognitive social structures", wherein individuals provide their perceptions of the entire network in which they are embedded. He empirically has related these perceived structures to turnover, performance, reputations, culture and power in organizations. He developed a set of indicators that evaluate the shape and character of the organization as a whole, including the E-I Index, the Transitivity Correlation, and the four Graph Theoretic Dimensions used in many software tools to break down hierarchies in network structures. Moreover, he has developed statistical and methodological tools, including KrackPlot, one of the first network visualization packages. He adapted the Quadratic Assignment Procedure to test hypotheses in multiple regression models of network data. His current research agenda includes developing models of diffusion of controversial innovations, identifying effective leverage points for organizational change and exploring the roles of Simmelian ties in organizations. His published works have appeared in a variety of journals in the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, statistics and management. He has served on the editorial boards of several academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Network Science, and is the founding editor of INSNA’s online journal, the Journal of Social Structure.