I am considering whether to do a network map with individuals or organizations as the nodes. I’m wondering (1) how to do this with Organizations as nodes instead of first and last names and (2) if anyone has thoughts about the pros/cons of individuals vs. orgs.
For context, we are seeking to map a Food Waste Reduction network where participants largely represent their organizations. Our goal is to visualize how different types of food waste efforts are connected (since they often require shared infrastructure and resources) and use that to help strengthen connections and our own network effectiveness.
Great question, and I am going to answer it with a question: Why not both?
You can create a single network that will allow you to visualize the results either at the individual level or the organizational level. I would start by creating the network using the names of the individuals in the “Names” column. Then, you can add another attribute column titled “Organization”.
Once you have finished looking at the resulting network at the individual level, you will then select “Roll-Up” from the left-hand menu, and select “Organization” as the option. This will “roll up” all of the individuals into their respective organizations while retaining their external ties.
If you plan on further analyzing that dataset, you can export the resulting network using the combination of “Export”, “Excel”, and “Visible network”. Then, reload this network as a new network, and you will have visualizations at both the individual as well as organizational levels.
To add to Chad’s answer. It’s also possible to collect both the person to person as well as the organization to organization data via Polinode’s surveys functionality by using a Supplementary List. You would create a Supplementary List with the organizations in question, potentially with the option of allowing respondents to add organizations to that list.