Rob Cross

Jeanne Liedtka

Leigh Weiss

¿Cuándo una empresa es mayor que la suma de sus partes? Cuando sus unidades de negocio, antes aisladas entre sí, encuentran la manera de aprovechar las innovaciones en el espacio en blanco que hay entre ellas. Eso es exactamente lo que ocurrió en el fabricante de maquinaria pesada United Technologies Corporation.

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Reprint: R0503H 

Saying that networks are important is stating the obvious. But harnessing the power of these seemingly invisible groups to achieve organizational goals is an elusive undertaking. Most efforts to promote collaboration are haphazard and built on the implicit philosophy that more connectivity is better. In truth, networks create relational demands that sap people&#8217;s time and energy and can bog down entire organizations. It&#8217;s crucial for executives to learn how to promote connectivity only where it benefits an organization or individual and to decrease unnecessary connections.
In this article, the authors introduce three types of social networks, each of which delivers unique value. The customized response network excels at framing the ambiguous problems involved in innovation. Strategy consulting firms and new-product development groups rely on this format. By contrast, surgical teams and law firms rely mostly on the modular response network, which works best when components of the problem are known but the sequence of those components in the solution is unknown. And the routine response network is best suited for organizations like call centers, where the problems and solutions are fairly predictable but collaboration is still needed.
Executives shouldn&#8217;t simply hope that collaboration will spontaneously occur in the right places at the right times in their organization. They need to develop a strategic, nuanced view of collaboration, and they must take steps to ensure that their companies support the types of social networks that best fit their goals.
Drawing on examples from Novartis, the FAA, and Sallie Mae, the authors offer managers the tools they need to determine which network will deliver the best results for their organizations and which strategic investments will nurture the right degree of connectivity.

A Practical Guide to Social Networks

Reimpresión: R0503H Decir que las redes son importantes es una obviedad. Pero aprovechar el poder de estos grupos aparentemente invisibles para alcanzar los objetivos de la organización es una tarea difícil de lograr. La mayoría de los esfuerzos por promover la colaboración son aleatorios y se basan en la filosofía implícita de que cuanta más conectividad, mejor. En realidad, las redes crean exigencias relacionales que consumen el tiempo y la energía de las personas y pueden entorpecer el funcionamiento de organizaciones enteras. Es fundamental que los ejecutivos aprendan a promover la conectividad solo cuando beneficia a la organización o a las personas, y a reducir las conexiones innecesarias.En este artículo, los autores presentan tres tipos de redes sociales, cada una de las cuales ofrece un valor único. La red de respuesta personalizada destaca por su capacidad para enmarcar los problemas ambiguos que plantea la innovación. Las consultoras estratégicas y los grupos de desarrollo de nuevos productos se basan en este formato. Por el contrario, los equipos quirúrgicos y los bufetes de abogados se basan principalmente en la red de respuesta modular, que funciona mejor cuando se conocen los componentes del problema, pero se desconoce la secuencia de esos componentes en la solución. Y la red de respuesta rutinaria es la más adecuada para organizaciones como los centros de atención telefónica, donde los problemas y las soluciones son bastante predecibles, pero sigue siendo necesaria la colaboración.Los ejecutivos no deben limitarse a esperar que la colaboración surja espontáneamente en los lugares adecuados y en los momentos oportunos dentro de su organización. Deben desarrollar una visión estratégica y matizada de la colaboración, y tomar medidas para garantizar que sus empresas apoyen los tipos de redes sociales que mejor se adapten a sus objetivos. Basándose en ejemplos de Novartis, la FAA y Sallie Mae, los autores ofrecen a los gerentes las herramientas que necesitan para determinar qué red ofrecerá los mejores resultados para sus organizaciones y qué inversiones estratégicas fomentarán el grado adecuado de conectividad.

Gu&iacute;a pr&aacute;ctica sobre las redes sociales

Reprint: R0503H Saying that networks are important is stating the obvious. But harnessing the power of these seemingly invisible groups to achieve organizational goals is an elusive undertaking. Most efforts to promote collaboration are haphazard and built on the implicit philosophy that more connectivity is better. In truth, networks create relational demands that sap people’s time and energy and can bog down entire organizations. It’s crucial for executives to learn how to promote connectivity only where it benefits an organization or individual and to decrease unnecessary connections. In this article, the authors introduce three types of social networks, each of which delivers unique value. The customized response network excels at framing the ambiguous problems involved in innovation. Strategy consulting firms and new-product development groups rely on this format. By contrast, surgical teams and law firms rely mostly on the modular response network, which works best when components of the problem are known but the sequence of those components in the solution is unknown. And the routine response network is best suited for organizations like call centers, where the problems and solutions are fairly predictable but collaboration is still needed. Executives shouldn’t simply hope that collaboration will spontaneously occur in the right places at the right times in their organization. They need to develop a strategic, nuanced view of collaboration, and they must take steps to ensure that their companies support the types of social networks that best fit their goals. Drawing on examples from Novartis, the FAA, and Sallie Mae, the authors offer managers the tools they need to determine which network will deliver the best results for their organizations and which strategic investments will nurture the right degree of connectivity.

Guía práctica sobre las redes sociales

Resumen.

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