13NETWORKING WITH NETWORKS
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN something suspect about networks. The word suggests exclusive clubs, sects almost, to which entrance is not by ability but by circumstance: the old boys’ network, the golf club network. Membership is taken for granted by those who “belong” and looked upon with envy by those who are excluded. There are even networks of directors, without whose help things rarely used to get done in business.
Today, that negative association is receding. Managers understand that all organizations are part of a greater whole. They exist thanks to relationships, associations, and connections. There are relationships with stakeholders—whether they are employees, suppliers, customers, or shareholders. Indeed, any ...
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