By understanding the structure of talent networks within companies, managers can foster more effective collaboration.
Leaders and human resources professionals are searching for ways to generate more value from their employees. Recent studies show that companies perform at a higher level when they have integrated talent management programs that are aligned with business strategy and operations. Organizations can get more from their investments in talent management, the authors argue, by focusing on collaboration.
Job design and performance management are typically based on individual accountability despite the fact that most work today is collaborative. Talent management practices tend to focus on individual competencies and experiences, while overlooking the importance of employee networks. By examining individual performance data together with the results of organizational network analysis, the authors say, senior managers can look at talent along two important dimensions. In addition to looking at individual employee performance for the purpose of succession or work force planning, they can take a network view to assess the same employees in terms of their broader collaborative contributions to the organization.
The authors show how applying a network lens reveals a significant number of key players (including marginalized talent, hidden talent and underutilized talent) that traditional performance management systems miss. They identify best practices for nurturing networks through talent management initiatives, illustrating them with examples from organizations including IDEO, Nokia, Dow Chemical, Best Buy, Gallo and the U.S. Army.
4 Comments On: Building a Well-Networked Organization
An excellent and useful guide for managing talent.
At the outset, I am still not definite whether any common acceptable definition of talent has been brought out. Talent will, as per my own perception, vary from organisation to organisation
as also from job to job within the organisation. We recruit only the best, offer the same induction
training, etc. to all newcomers but, after a passage of time, we are compelled to classify them in one of the four quadrants of the individual performance rating grid. The factors responsible for the variations need to be objectively ascertained and analysed. HR and the top Management need to deem it their duty to go into these aspects in depth. Loss of productivity is a drain on financial resources and must be checked.
It is rightly said that relational and cultural dynamics of an organisation can actually create poor performers. Further, granting too much laxity to do jobs the way – this may not be right – it suits the employee and absence of close watch on
what is happening at the ground level lead to the employee taking the organisational goals non-seriously. Management cannot shirk responsibility of grooming talent and then solely blame the employee for the ills.
Opportunities need to be provided to all the employees in order for them to register on the management’s radar as expected.
Once the Management does its best, growth is assured. However, if still there are some who do not rise to the occasion, they can be counselled before they are removed if need be.
The article indicates that well networked organizations such as IDEO, IBM, and U.S. Army draw outperformances from their people through effective learning and development practices.
But what is the most important enabler for building good networks in an organization?
Although there may be many different enablers for building good networks for collaboration within organization, I suggest the ‘emotion regulation’ skill must be one.
Networking is another name of socialization, and the emotion regulation is very essential in the process of socialization.
For example, a manager who is easily tempered and express his/her negative emotions to subordinates hinders building good networks in an organization. Subordinates would not like to engage in their work, but to be protective from manager’s unnecessary emotional challenges.
Thus, I believe that learning and developing ‘emotion management’ skill is the most important thing for managers to do for building positively networked organization.
I have so much to say about this article. It is definitely insightful and I admire your research. Basically, in a discussion of “talent and performance” it would be instructive to consider both in the most literal sense — artistic talent and performance. The research you’ve conducted and findings suggest close study of jazz ensembles would be meaningful and enjoyable. Just a few key observations or pots of connection:
“Organizations could get even more from their investments in talent management if they focused on collaboration” — Yes. Jazz bands do this daily, especially those that perform “swing” style jazz. Collaboration is a requirement.
“Senior executives would do well to give as much thought to the design, development and facilitation of networks as they historically have given to organizational structure and reporting relationships.” — Indeed. Let’s get senior execs into a workshop on jazz ensemble, call it “continuing education” — a Jazz-Business Alliance. Sign up now!
“We set out to examine how talent practices can improve collaboration in organizations by examining what companies were already doing” — Examining the extent to which companies are already collaborating does not diversify the model. In the spirit of collaboration, engaging across disciplinary lines is necessary. Brass section must “talk to” reeds must “talk to” the rhythm section, etc. The conversation is enriched when there is a diversity of voices. Also, think about cross musical collaborations: jazz and country, jazz and blues, jazz and rap (yes, it happens!), etc. Now think about collaborations across country lines: US -South African jazz, US- Brazilian jazz, Eastern European and Middle-Eastern jazz…
Jazz ensembles aren’t just thrown together ad-hoc, there is a strategy for bringing together various personnel. Talent identification and collaboration are inherently part of jazz bands. (Team sports are similar)
“Unfortunately, the number of employees who don’t fully engage in collaborative activity but should is large enough to create a performance drain in most organizations.” — Absolutely. In studying jazz ensembles we know this. Imagine a trombone player just sitting stagnant on stage, not playing anything or only playing occasionally; never having the opportunity to improvise. This would certainly have an impact on the sound and overall performance.
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nice article