1. The Networking Territory

2. Diagnosing Your Networks
Inside vs. Outside
Strong vs. Weak Ties
Individuals vs. Groups
Size
Diversity
Structure
Efficiency

3. Diagnosing Relationships
The Other’s Spectrum
Deal-
Oriented
1. Spot Market
2. Exploitation
Your Spectrum
Deal-
Oriented
Relationship
Oriented
3. Exit
4. Partnership
Relationship
Oriented

4. Evaluating Your Intelligence System
Are you in the know?
Contact maintenance
Word-of-mouth information?
Contact building opportunities
Diversity of contacts
Sharing information
Outside sources of information
Wandering around
Peers in other organizations
Using others as eyes and ears

5. Intelligence Systems (cont’)
Each of my heroes has a special talent for keeping himself informed about a wide range of operating decisions being made at different levels in the company. As he moves up the ladder, he develops a network of information sources in many different departments. He cultivates these sources and keeps them open no matter how high he climbs in the organization. When the need arises, he bypasses the lines on the organization chart to seek more than one version of a situation. (Ed Wrapp)
He [Walter Wriston] relies very heavily on information that comes to him from different parts of the organization. He gets and absorbs the feelings of people who are not only department and group heads but always has a wary ear open to be alert to situations, circumstances within the shop that might not surface in the ordinary routine of management information flows... He’s got a very acute sense.. .of the ideas as they float around the organization.… (Harry Levinson and Stuart Rosenthal, CEO)
Churchill
MBWA

6. Assessing Information Needs
What kinds of information do you need? What information is critical to your ability to do your job?
Where are you and your group in the flow of internal relationships? Who are your internal customers? Who are your internal suppliers?
Where are your key information uncertainties and threats? Where is information generated that you really need to know?

7. Post Chemical Case What is your diagnosis of the situation?
What actions would you recommend to the top management of Post Chemical?

8. Bottlenecks and Bridges
Team A
Team B
Which team is likely to be more innovative?
How effective is the coordination between the teams?
Who are the most critical people likely to be in this diagram?

9. Why bottlenecks? Differentiation Integration
Preference for interacting with those that are similar
Inattention to informal structure

10. Diagnosing Bottlenecks
Do groups have different
objectives and goals
orientations to time
orientations to interpersonal relationships
emphasis on formal vs. informal structures
Are groups separated by time and space?
Are people designated as official bridges?
Is one person the sole bridge between groups?
Are groups connected by , etc.?
Are managers discouraged from crossing group boundaries?
Are growth, globalization, restructuring creating a need for more integrative relationships?

11. Building Bridges Designate people as official bridges
Emphasize information exchange
Rotate personnel
Get people into the field
Encourage boundarylessness
Build redundant ties
Use facility design to induce interactions

12. Key Principles of Networking
Reciprocity / Mutual benefits
Breadth, non-redundance
Social and cultural capital
Making “friends” vs. making deals
Networks as option platforms
Efficient, effective learning
Open networks offer greater access

13. Developing a Relationship Plan
What are the strengths of my or my group’s network?
What are the weaknesses of my or my group’s network?
What actions should I take to build a more effective network for me or my group?