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Some
companies frown on networking as ‘gossip’,while
others believe better networking delivers better business results.
Networks
provide links between individuals and between organisations
and are more flexible than traditional hierarchies.
‘Communities’ is another term for networks, which
implies co-operation and collaboration and feels different from
the term ‘corporation’.
Networking
and individuals
No
one else can make you network - it needs personal motivation
- but if senior managers don’t value networking then other
people won’t either. A
lone networker will find making connections hard.
It
is difficult to operate the ‘Mrs Do-As-You-Would-Be-Done-By'
rule if the culture requires individuality as the way to get
ahead
In
the life cycle of networks, if one person doesn’t want
to join, then this part of the network dies. If a new person
joins, a new branch is created.
Networking
and groups
Networkers are more aware of what is happening in the business
and can therefore take better decisions.
Companies
spend billions on knowledge management systems but would be
better creating an environment where increased knowledge is
the natural outcome of good networking.
Because
networks often exist outside the formal hierarchy there is a
danger of spinning off and becoming self-serving - so it's
vital networks remain connected.
- How
do outputs get back to the wider organisation?
- Who
gets involved and how?
- When
and how should the network be closed down?
Networking
and change
Networked
individuals, drive ‘change from the edge’ by understanding
what’s best for the business - because they are connected
to the organisation’s knowledge flows.
Innovative
firms network and respond flexibly to change, recognising the
dangers of relying on the slow response of the formal hierarchy.
Here, senior teams no longer have to drive ‘change from
the top’.
This
makes the organisation more self-aware, self-organising and
self-renewing – and ultimately creates a more sustainable
business.
June
2006
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Feature Networking
