Maaike Kamphuis on change through networks
Fri 17 September 2010
, LEAP!, LEAP!
As old school processes diminish in importance within organisations, change in networks inevitably follows. IBM’s change consultant Maaike Kamphuis believes that by better understanding social networks, and identifying communication bottlenecks, more efficient models can be created.
Maaike often consults people on their definition of organisations, which can lead to surprising insights. “When I ask people to describe their organisation, and ask them to explain how work actually gets done within that organisation, people usually draw a hierarchical graph.”
‘Information flow’
“And in my experience,” she continues, “that's not the only way that work is being done today. Part of my time is spent studying the actual relationships that exist between staff, following the information flow between individuals and departments. Of course, the old hierarchal model is still in place and is still working, but increasingly I see an informal network developing, whereby people connect through online social media and share ideas and experiences.”
Social networks
Maaike believes that by better understanding these social networks, and identifying communication bottlenecks, more efficient models can be created. “It’s really about understanding the relationship between a group of people. With the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method we analyse and visualise the network to identify where there are gaps (or a lack of connectedness) between functionalities or between people.”
More benefits
This, Maaike says, enables her team to identify the informal leaders within such networks, who often act as the ‘information brokers’. “So what are we working towards? Essentially it’s about trying to convince people that hanging on to knowledge within the organisation is detrimental not just to themselves, but also to the development of the organisation as a whole. I want to convince people that the more porous organisations become in terms of sharing knowledge and information, the more the organisation and the individuals will benefit.”
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