June and I chatted this morning about the centrality of innovation in our network weaving work. Everyone we work with is after one or both kinds of change: scaling what you're already doing, and doing something new (innovation).
Network weaving is particularly powerful with innovation because we're connecting people with the kind of diversity that is always essential to the R&D of innovation. Diversity of ideas, perspectives, intentions, resources, access, and opportunities. The more we connect with people outside our personal (1st) circle, the diversity becomes more and more guaranteed.
Of course learning how to connect these people in collaboration toward innovation is a social technology that we will continue to offer in our workshops
1 comment:
It's great to see you discussing a whole practice of organizational development that has roots in networks.
I have been thinking about this kind of project, and its rewarding to see people up and running.
One advantage is that network analysis as well as the growing popular awareness of social capital arguments adds a level of rigor and insight to older adages about managing people. In other words, there used to be an asymmetry of data around managing the bottom line (with numbers) and managing people, which is about building trust, reputation, and being authentic. Managing people didn’t have “the numbers.” Not that I arguing for uncritical use of network data and metrics, but I think its emergence and commercialization makes debates about how to build value and develop people (including ourselves as managers) less either/or debates.
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