Contrary to the views held by most corporate managers that social networks are intricate webs of ungovernable networks, Cross and Prusak argue that the networks provide effective communication platforms to improve organisational productivity and performance using the right scientific management tools (105).
Results from 50 organisations show that informal networks are important for central connectors, boundary spanners, information brokers, and peripheral specialists in driving organisations towards better productivity and success using well-established social networks and analytical tools for personal network management (Cross and Parker 85).
According to Cross and Prusak, central connectors link organisations to the right information sources that are important for decision making at corporate levels (106). Connectors enable managers at the formal or informal levels to collect and map the right solutions to problems by enhancing the generation of new ideas to improve the productivity of organisations.
However, it is crucial for managers to ensure that connectors are not used to fulfill personal goals such as political or financial gain that are inconsistent with organisational objectives. The focus on personal goals can be overcome by using “boundary spanners that consist of roving ambassadors who serve as the group’s eyes to nurture the external connections of the informal network” (Cross and Prusak 110).
According to Cross and Prusak, boundary spanners provide the platform for sharing different expertise among different people such as those involved in research and development (110). However, research shows that corporate life does not provide a good environment for connectors to thrive on.
For instance, senior executives recommend the idea of lower level managers getting involved in creating links with boundary connectors to learn new knowledge such as emerging product development technologies and new project management techniques which have evidently benefited many organisations in Europe and North America that operate on large information networks.
Information “networks operate under information brokers who connect different sub networks within a company in tightly knit groups that are isolated from one another” (Cross and Prusak 110). Research shows that information brokers are important because they improve information sharing among different groups in their areas of expertise.
However, to avoid the risk of tearing apart informal networks, organisations should not entirely rely on information brokers but rather emphasize on creating central connectors that are tightly linked to each organisation. In addition, peripheral specialists make use of informal networks to provide specialised information from the outside for use within the organisation to improve productivity.
Cross and Prusak maintain that peripheral specialists often operate from outside of the organisation and have specialised technical skills and knowledge that include research data, customer preferences and software skills that are critical for an organisation to use to be successful (111).
To gain from the specialised information, it is important to integrate peripheral specialists into the organisation’s information networks to optimise the information provided by the specialists for corporate success (Weick 67). In conclusion, using a good personal network management enables employees with customised views to build better relationship within the organisation to improve their productivity.
Works Cited
Cross, Rob, and Laurence Prusak. “The people who make organizations go-or stop.” Harvard business review 80.6 (2002): 104-112.Print.
Cross, Robert L., and Andrew Parker. The hidden power of social networks: Understanding how work really gets done in organizations, Harvard: Harvard Business Press, 2004.Print.
Weick, Karl E. Making sense of the organization: Volume 2: The impermanent Organization, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2012.Print.