One tool to assess the exchange of resources and dependencies is social network analysis. This method examines patterns of communication among organizational members to identify how information flows between them. Within a social network each, individual or group is called a node, and the links between nodes are called ties. When nodes communicate or exchange resources frequently, they are said to have very strong ties.

Other nodes that are not engaged in direct communication with one another achieve resource flows through intermediary nodes. In other words, some nodes act as brokers between otherwise unconnected nodes. Networks can create substantial power dynamics, such as enforcing norms or creating change within an organization. Thus, employees who have many connections to an organizational social network are less likely to engage in corruption. Those in the position of brokers tend to have more power because they can leverage the unique resources they can acquire from different groups.

A social network analysis in an organization can be implemented in many ways. Some organizations keep track of the flow of e-mail communications or document sharing across departments. Other organizations look at data from human resources information systems, analyzing how supervisors and subordinates interact. These data sources can produce sociograms showing how resources and power flow. Leaders can then identify powerful brokers who exert the strongest influence on many groups.