Cross, R., Gray, R., Cunningham, S., Showers, M., & Thomas, R. J. (2010). The
collaborative organization: How to make employee networks really work. MIT Sloan
Management Review, 52(1), 83-90.
People can play a plethora of roles in a network in four primary categories. They can minimize redundancies and scale solutions. Many times, decisions are made locally, not at a global, company-wide level, hindering productivity. Individuals can drive and enhance collaboration, as in the Monsanto infrastructure standardization example where regional representation of individuals with strong networks at a company-wide level. Individuals can also be a boundary spanner and knowledge diversifier, by connecting lower engaged or lower performing employees with those who have higher engagement/performance. Those who are high performers and highly engaged have diverse networks from which to draw connection and expertise; they can show pathways for others to energize as a way to perform highly, too. Individuals can have strong internal influence while lacking strong external influence, and vice versa; if this is addressed, or if these individuals build a stronger working relationship, their networks can drive innovation by connecting internal networks to external ideas. Finally, when individuals are central collaborators, they can get overwhelmed with activity because of their productive roles. Network analysis can highlight these pinch points caused by high amounts of collaboration and allow those who hold connective power to shift some of their ownership, or their managers can step in to assist in offloading or redirecting some responsibilities.
This article resonated with me because there are several individuals in my organization who do not hold titles commensurate with the value they bring to the workplace. Some of those individuals have left the organization who voiced to me they felt undervalued, and we lost the benefit of their boundary spanning and external influence capabilities. This new way of looking at employee networks illustrates the importance of looking for value outside of job descriptions, and elevating talent in a myriad of ways.
LO3: address complex challenges by collaboratively leading teams across disciplines, distances, and sectors.
LO4: apply communication-centered scholarship to strengthen communication effectiveness.
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