The Organizational Network Fieldbook: Best Practices, Techniques, and Exercises to Drive Organizational Innovation and Performance

19.3. Session 2: Promoting Effectiveness Through Personal Networks

I usually open the second half of a leadership workshop by describing the link between personal networks and performance. Research over the past couple of decades has demonstrated that the quality and scope of an employee's network have a substantial impact on that person's ability to solve problems, learn when transitioning into new roles, and implement plans of any substance. In opening this segment of the workshop, I indicate that we will focus on networks from a performance perspective and not from the more traditional self-help approach, which advises us to build big networks. I make sure to emphasize that our research calls into question the more-is-better approach to networking—we ...