Driving Results Through Social Networks

Most leaders are desperately seeking ways to get greater results from their organizations. While they are quick to acknowledge the value and power of informal networks for getting work done, far too often leaders apply flawed approaches to generating business results from networks. What they need is a proven method for assessing and managing networks for strategic purposes.Driving Results Through Social Networks shows executives and managers how to obtain substantial performance and innovation impact by better leveraging these traditionally invisible assets. For the past decade, Rob Cross and Robert J. Thomas have worked closely with executives from over a hundred top level companies and government agencies. In this groundbreaking book, they describe in depth how these leaders are using network thinking to increase revenues, lower costs, and accelerate innovation.Throughout the book, the authors offer clear principles and practical tools to drive collaborations that deliver the greatest performance impact. By using the network analysis techniques outlined in this book, leaders will be able to address such questions as: Does information flow smoothly across formal structure and thus allow an organization to leverage scale and expertise in product or service offerings? Is innovation spurred at key points by effective networks bringing together functions, offerings, or technical capabilities? Is the organization overly focused on a few decision makers, roles, or experts that are invisibly but dramatically slowing the work and efficiency of many others? Once social networks become visible, leaders can address these and other questions in ways that have an immediate impact on performance.Driving Results Through Social Networks is filled with illustrative examples from such successful companies as Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, United Technologies, Novartis, and Mars that have used network analysis to yield actionable insights and measureable business impact.