Levels of influence and powerHierarchical position and managerial role do not guarantee that managers are able to take action on decision.

www.innovationagency.com | South Africa, Johannesburg

2013

Scenario:An organisational chart plots employees based on their roles and hierarchical position along reporting lines. This does not, however, guarantee that managers will manage effectively or that their managerial powers will ensure that they exert adequate power. Additionally, flaws in organisational processes and workflows quickly manifest in specific patterns of connectivity giving rise to distinct access, awareness, and problem-solving networks. However, employees’ network position and sphere of influence are determined by other factors such as who they know and their level of connectedness and their network position.

Approach:With the aid of a network lens it is possible to undertake a re-organisation of roles. It also offers an opportunity for using the network effect to drive positive change through the organisation since people will be assigned to more appropriate roles, taking into account their network roles and position within the network.

Results:Are the correct people in the right roles? Are systems, processes and functions designed correctly? Are accountability and responsibility meted out appropriately and assigned correctly according to employees’ roles? With the aid of a network perspective the patterns that emerge along functional relationships in specific networks reveal much about employees’ functional roles within the organisation. Network analysis helps explain why some managers come across as powerless. It reveals who relies on whom for decision-making and in the process exposes bottlenecks and other dysfunctionalities.

www.innovationagency.com | South Africa, Johannesburg

Levels of influence and power