Informal Networks LO7759

Rachel Silber (rachel@ontos.com)
Thu, 6 Jun 1996 10:35:31 -0400 (EDT)

Replying to LO7743 --

"Valdis E. Krebs said: "
>
> We made the exact same discoveries in some of our client firms. TRW and
> IBM had these exact situations, except that in the TRW situation the
> emergent expert was 'suspected' by management of being an informal leader.
> Both IBM and TRW (licensees of our network mapping/modeling/measuring
> software, InFlow) wanted to see the emergent dynamics/structures in some
> of their key processes. At IBM, the emergent expert was a suprise to
> everyone, including the expert himself. Neither he, nor his manager,
> realized how 'central' he was in disseminating and compiling information
> on a new strategic technology. Tom Peters wrote about our methodolgoy
> using the above IBM example. If you would like a fax of it please send me
> you fax number.
>
> What is interesting here is that by being well connected, they gained even
> more connections! The concept of 'increasing returns' (them that has
> gets) in action!

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, what you have described is
not simply being well connected, but sharing and disseminating the
value that those connections bring.

Which leads me to restate your concluding point: "them that gives, gets".

Rachel Silber
rachel@ontos.com

-- 

"Rachel Silber" <rachel@ontos.com>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>