The hunt for innovative ideas is best achieved, according to the ‘variance hypothesis’ by leaving your office and meeting a broad range of new people in new domains. The greater variety in your network of external contacts — what is known as ‘external breadth’ — the more successful the search for ideas. Variety refers to […]
Read More… from Hunt for Innovative Ideas Externally or Internally-Just Not Both
CEOs are responsible for knowing what is going on in their companies. No matter how large, complex or global the organization, CEOs do not have the luxury of pleading ignorance; it is their job to keep abreast of all the important facts and developments: what their employees and competitors are doing, what big new ideas […]
Read More… from Ensure the CEO Gets the Right Information at the Right Time
Organizational design theory studies the formal structures of an organization; network research focuses on informal structures — the informal interactions and relationships ‘behind the chart’. Giuseppe Soda of Bocconi University in Milan and Akbar Zaheer of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management argue, however, that to evaluate individual performance in an organization — […]
Read More… from How Informal and Formal Networks Hurt and Help Performance
Social capital research has established the performance advantages of networking. However, we know surprisingly little about the strategies individuals employ when networking and, in particular, the underlying agency mechanisms involved. Research undertaken at INSEAD has analysed the networking strategies employed by newly promoted professionals at two professional service firms to address two closely related limitations […]
Read More… from Constructive Networking: The Strategies of Players and Purists
In a world of business in which cooperation is often the key to success, many companies overlook the damage that infighting, extreme competition or knowledge hoarding by employees can cause to sales, profits and effectiveness. At the opposite end of the scale are the organizations that encourage and facilitate employee cooperation and generosity. Employees look […]
Read More… from Ways to Encourage Employees to Help Each Other
How to make your voice heard and be more influential in the workplace has always been a topic of interest for executives. Traditionally, it has been suggested that in order to exercise more influence, one must strive to be a part of the hallowed ‘C-Suite’ (i.e. a chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief marketing […]
Read More… from Building Buy-In: The Value of Informal Relationships and Coalitions
The migration of nationals from less-developed countries, once thought of as ‘brain drain’, has been ‘re-framed’. A new concept, ‘brain circulation’, has taken root — and with it the idea that members of the diaspora can be ‘mobilised’ to benefit the economy back home. Interpersonal ties are increasingly seen as a way to diffuse […]
Read More… from Knowledge Sharing Networks Between Developing and Developed Countries
Though formal hierarchies continue to be an integral part of organizational structures, in recent years individuals have been required to look beyond these towards the informal and invisible structures supporting an organization. This is referred to as ‘network perspective’ in a 2013 White Paper by the Center for Creative Leadership’s Kristin Cullen, Charles Palus and […]
Read More… from Developing Network Perspective: Social Networks and Leadership
Networking has been linked to a number of indicators of individual attainment and success within organizations, including promotions and career satisfaction. But despite its acknowledged importance, little is known about the specific organizational practices that can help individuals build interpersonal connections. How do practices like formal mentoring, for example, affect workplace networks? In order to […]
Read More… from How Formal Mentoring Affects Workplace Networks
‘Connected’ CEOs are those who have very close ties to the other top executives in the firm. CEOs are especially connected if they were responsible for appointing the executives to their position. Using the fraction of top executives appointed by the CEO as a proxy for connectedness, Kim and Khanna found through their research that […]
