Why your boss ignores you

LQ13899 - Remember the last time you emailed your boss about something but never received an answer? We show that such behavior should not be taken personally. It is much rather the consequence of clever communication being the key to success. Analyzing the web formed by millions of email connections in the University of Oslo shows us that people constantly make cunning trade-offs – those between paying attention to some while ignoring others. Imagine climbing a pyramid of people. Reaching the top means greatest popularity. Getting ahead means talking to those above. To progress, you are required to be an active social player –  important co-workers must receive messages but unfortunately others must be ignored. In the end, even the most skilled socializers run into the dilemma that they cannot keep up with their own popularity. As more and more employees on the pyramid look up to them, they cannot properly address even important messages. This links our human social behavior to that of primates and other animals, where the number of stable social contacts was suggested to be limited by brain-capacity.