I was reading Living Networks by Ross Dawson, and I found that table 6-1 – Action Steps to Building Network Presence shows how thinking like a network really helps an organization to be more effective. The bullet points below all came from this list, but I felt inspired to rearrange them slightly so that I could gain a deeper understanding of how they all fit together.
Networks are incredibly rich in information, but often the important signals are flooded by very high levels of noise. Your organization can become more effective by applying an understanding of how information flows through networks, the behaviors that emerge as a result, and how best to access the relevant parts of the flow so that you aren’t overwhelmed by the noise. You can reach people more easily, you can understand what the rest of the world is thinking, you can be more creative, and you can make better decisions.
For me it comes down to three activities: Listening. Thinking. Speaking.
Listening: Adapt to the shifting environment by being conscious of the stories that the network is telling. From this you can better understand how to respond.
- Monitor customer communities
- Get faster, richer feedback… and use it
- Involve customers in innovation
- Use input for customization
Thinking: Improve distributed decision making and creativity by being conscious of your internal flows of information.
- Identify and empower network hubs
- Nurture communities of specialists
- Create adaptive systems
- Develop a collaborative culture
- Foster external networks
Speaking: Grow your tribe. Spread your memes more effectively to those who are interested by being conscious of the stories that you tell. Aim for virality.
- Design for propagation
- Foster network effects
- Create interaction
- Choose fertile territory
To read more of what Ross has to say on this subject you can download the whole book at Living Networks.
Related posts:
