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Dormant ties: the value of reconnecting
Definition: Dormant ties are professional contacts you once knew well but have fallen out of touch with, often for years. Because you share history and trust, reconnecting is usually easy, and these contacts tend to offer fresh information and perspectives your current network does not. Research on executives found that advice from reconnected dormant ties compared favorably with advice from current contacts.
The term comes from Levin, D. Z., Walter, J., and Murnighan, J. K. (2011), "Dormant Ties: The Value of Reconnecting," Organization Science, 22(4), which found that executives who reconnected with out-of-touch contacts for work advice got advice that compared favorably with their current contacts' advice.
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Why it matters
Your most useful contacts may not be the people you talk to every week. The people you talk to often already know what you know. A former colleague you have not spoken to in five years has spent that time meeting new people and solving new problems, and they still remember working with you.
Dormant ties are also cheap to restart. You do not need to earn trust from zero or explain who you are. One honest message can turn a quiet relationship back into an active one, which makes your past network one of the most practical places to look when you need advice, introductions or a fresh view.
How it works
Why dormant ties are valuable
A dormant tie sits in a useful middle ground. You built trust and shared experience with this person in the past, so they are willing to help and quick to understand you. But during the years apart, they have met new people, changed roles and learned things you have not. That combination gives you something current contacts rarely can: advice that feels candid and comes from outside your usual circle. Levin, Walter and Murnighan (2011) found that executives who reconnected with dormant contacts for advice on a work project received advice that compared favorably with what their current contacts offered.
Why people avoid reconnecting
Most people hesitate because the gap feels awkward. They worry the other person will see the message as random or self-serving, or that too much time has passed. In practice, the shared history does most of the work. A short, honest note that names how you know each other and why you thought of them usually lands well. The longer you wait, the larger the gap feels, but the relationship itself rarely fades as fast as your nerves suggest. Treat the silence as normal life, not a broken bond.
Dormant ties versus weak ties
Weak ties are acquaintances you see occasionally and never knew deeply. Granovetter (1973) showed that these looser connections often carry new information because they move in different circles. Dormant ties can offer the same novelty, with one added benefit: you once had a stronger bond, so trust is already in place. That makes a dormant tie an efficient source of help. You do not have to build credibility from scratch, and the other person is more likely to give a thoughtful answer than a polite brush-off.
Keeping ties from going dormant again
Reconnecting is only half the work. Once a relationship is warm again, a light rhythm of contact keeps it from slipping back. This does not need to be frequent. A note when you see their news, a useful article, or a check-in every few months is enough for most professional relationships. Many people track this in a simple contact list with the last date they spoke and a reminder for the next touchpoint. The goal is steady, low-effort contact, not constant attention.
Examples
- A product manager considering a move into healthcare messages a former teammate who left for a hospital system six years ago and gets a frank picture of the industry over one phone call.
- A consultant stuck on a pricing problem reaches out to her old business school study partner, who now runs finance at a mid-size firm and suggests an approach her current colleagues had not considered.
- A fundraiser reconnects with a board member from a nonprofit he worked at a decade ago, who remembers his work and introduces him to two new donors.
- A lawyer emails a former opposing counsel she respected years ago to ask about a niche regulatory issue, and he replies the same day with a detailed answer.
Putting it into practice
- List ten to twenty people you once worked with closely but have not spoken to in two years or more: former managers, teammates, clients and classmates.
- Pick two or three whose current work connects to a question or project you have right now.
- Write a short message that names how you know each other, says why you thought of them, and asks one clear question or simply checks in.
- Keep the tone light and skip long apologies for the silence. Shared history makes the gap feel smaller to them than it does to you.
- After they reply, thank them and later tell them what you did with their advice. Closing the loop makes the next contact natural.
- Set a reminder for a follow-up touchpoint in a few months so the relationship does not go quiet again.
Write the message in 20 seconds
Free, no signup. The example is filled in: press the button, then replace it with your own situation. In Capstone, a message like it is written for each person you know when their check-in is due.
Frequently asked questions
What does dormant ties mean?
Dormant ties means relationships that were once active but have gone quiet, usually because of a job change, a move or simple busyness. The person is still reachable and the shared history is intact. The term comes from management research by Levin, Walter and Murnighan (2011) in Organization Science, who studied the value of reconnecting with these contacts for work advice.
What is the golden rule of networking?
The golden rule of networking is to give before you ask. Help people with introductions, information or encouragement without keeping score, and they will be glad to help you when you need it. This applies to dormant ties too: a reconnection that opens with genuine interest in the other person, or something useful for them, lands far better than one that leads with a request.
What is the weak ties theory?
The weak ties theory holds that acquaintances, not close friends, are often the best source of new information and opportunities. Mark Granovetter introduced it in 1973 in the American Journal of Sociology. Close friends tend to know what you know, while weak ties connect you to other circles. Rajkumar and colleagues (2022, Science) later found in LinkedIn experiments that moderately weak ties were the most useful for job mobility.
What are examples of weak ties?
Examples of weak ties include a coworker from another department, someone you met at a conference, a friend of a friend, a neighbor you chat with occasionally, or a vendor contact you speak with a few times a year. These people know you, but not closely. A former close colleague you have not spoken to in years is different: that is a dormant tie.
How do you reconnect with a dormant contact?
Reconnect with a short, specific message that reminds them how you know each other, says why you thought of them now, and makes a light request or none at all. Skip long apologies for the gap. If you want advice, ask one clear question they can answer easily. Then follow up with thanks and tell them what you did with their input.
Which old contact should you write to first? Capstone shows the people who have gone quiet, so you can pick one old contact a week. Your notes and your last talk sit on their timeline to help you start.
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A study of 20 million LinkedIn members found that acquaintances, more than close friends, led to new jobs (Science, 2022). Capstone keeps those people warm. You approve every message, and it goes from your own email or phone.