Networking is the buzzword in professional circles – All of us are used to being members of niche professional networks. How does a network add value? How can leveraging human networks increase business productivity?
Why Do We Even Need Networking?
Employees and leaders are individuals – as such, they need to communicate and interact with other individuals and entire organizations. For example, when you receive an email from an e-market’s customer service, or from your bank, you are not only in communication with the individual representative sending you that email but the entire organization as well.
What Is the Structure of Networking?
Picture a network as a combination of nodes and edges. The nodes represent individual humans/ideas/organizations, while the edges symbolize the connections. Each node communicates or exchanges something with other nodes in the network. Besides this, there is also the network structure that answers the question—who can communicate with whom, and through whom?
Try thinking of it this way – zoom into a node that represents a business. The next thing you get to see are entire networks inside it. The key takeaway is the following: organizations/functionals/cliques interact with you when you network and as a business leader, you can leverage this to improve productivity.
Types of Networks
In a study conducted by Herminia Ibarra and Mark Lee Hunter with 30 professionals, managers, and leaders, three forms of social networks have been outlined. A better understanding of these networks can help leaders gain a clear understanding of where they are and what they need to do to increase business productivity.
Operational Networks
These networks comprise of superiors, peers withing an operational unit, internal agents with the power to block/support a project, and key outsiders such as suppliers, distributors, and customers.
Operational networks are usually prescribed by the organization structure. Leaders do not have the flexibility of weaving their own networks.
Exclusive reliance on operational networks is that they are wired to meet specific objectives, usually assigned by a higher authority.
Personal Networks
Once a leader realizes the limitation of relying solely on an operational network, they tend to look outside their organization for like minds.
A personal network can be a foundation for strategic networking. It acts as a great space for personal development.
Why look outside your immediate networks and spend time on something that is not directly related to your work? Turns out that when you build these connections, you get access to important referrals, information, and developmental support, such as coaching and mentoring.
Personal networks are exceptionally powerful because of their referral potential. Through personal connections, you are likely to find a far-off person with the information you are looking for within less time and effort.
Strategic Networking
As a business leader, you are also faced with the challenge of building relationships with other functional and business leaders. You will thus need to utilize these relationships and information sources to achieve personal and organizational goals.
What differentiates a good leader from any leader is their ability to figure out where to go and recruit the correct people to take them there. A good strategic network will therefore allow you to leverage information, resources, and connections from one sector of a network for results in another.
In Conclusion
Keep in mind, neither of these networks is mutually exclusive. Depending on your situation, seniority, and personality, you must create a unique combination for yourself. Neither is there a clean chronology to the three forms of networks.
Nevertheless, younger leaders usually rely on organizational and personal networks more. This is because strategic networking demands influence, which is something that only comes with time.
Choose the network that works for your career stage and journey.