Driving Results Through Social Networks: How Top Organizations Leverage Networks for Performance and Growth

Chapter 1. ALIGNING NETWORKS WITH STRATEGIC VALUE PROPOSITIONS

Every day you have conversations at work with peers whose opinions you respect and whose friendships you value. It is likely that you report to a superior whom you also like and respect but often do not see for days and sometimes weeks at a time. Both interactions have impact, but the first conversation is "invisible" on most organization charts. Formal structure determines in large part who is sought out in networks: we are driven to reach out to people by virtue of the decisions they get to make, the information they hold, and the resources they dole out. But informal relationships are crucial as well: some people may lack formal authority but possess technical expertise and organizational ...