Networks in the Knowledge Economy

In today's de-layered, knowledge-intensive organizations, most work ofimportance is heavily reliant on informal networks of employees withinorganizations. For example, networks sitting across core work processes,weaving together new product development initiatives or integrating strategicinitiatives such as alliances or mergers can be critical to organizationaleffectiveness. Social network analysis (SNA), a set of analytic tools that canbe used to map networks of relationships, allows one to conduct very powerfulassessments of information sharing within a network with relatively littleeffort, thereby revealing both points where collaboration is effective andpoints where improvement is necessary. Unfortunately, many practitioners areunaware of the potential benefits that can be derived from systematicallyassessing important informal networks. Networks in the Knowledge Economy wasorganized to provide readings on the application of social network analysis tomanagerial concerns. It is specifically concerned with networks inside oforganizations given the comparative lack of attention they have received incontrast to relationships between companies and advice on how to become a"networked organization."