Streamline Training & Documentation: Krackhardt and Hanson on Informal Networks

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Krackhardt and Hanson on Informal Networks

An early and insightful article on organizational networks was published in the Harvard Business Review back in 1993. The article is still cited regularly and is well worth reading.

The authors, David Krackhardt of Carnegie Mellon's school of public policy and management, and Jeffrey R. Hanson, a management consultant, encourage managers to "identify, leverage and revamp [as needed]" three types of informal organizational networks:

The advice network — people linked by their reliance on one another for technical advice on how to get work done.

The trust network — people linked by their willingness to trust one another with sensitive information.

The communication network — people linked by regular contacts in which they talk about work-related matters.

Krackhardt and Hanson then describe some of the common problems that network analysis can uncover and help solve:

Weak interdepartmental communication — This is the well-known problem of silos, which can be alleviated through such measures as establishing cross-departmental teams and task forces, arranging cross-departmental social events, and having mentors introduce their protegés to colleagues in other departments.

Weak intradepartmental communication — Sometimes there's an absence of camaraderie that can be remedied through various team-building efforts. Sometimes the situation is more dire, with feuding factions that need to be brought together through appropriate conflict resolution.

Gaps in the network — Often best solved by creating assignments that bring people into contact so that they can produce valuable output while also forming ongoing working relationships.

"Bow tie" — A network in which many people are dependent on one particular employee, but not on each other. Managers need to both diffuse the central person's power (which may or may not be something the person welcomes) and to "guide employees to cultivate the right mix of relationships."

Heedless disruption of a network — Whenever organizational restructuring is under consideration, the likely impact on the organization's informal networks should get careful attention as part of the change planning process.

In sum, any effort to improve organizational effectiveness, whether small-scale or large-scale, must take informal networks into account in order to achieve intended goals while avoiding unintended consequences.

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Labels: Networking

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