Introduction
The corporate world has witnessed a transformation in the past few years. The rise of the global company's concept has created new challenges for managers in the form of cross-cultural barriers. Managers need to develop their networking skills in order to meet the demands of the global business environment. New managers need to focus their efforts in networking with their teams for better relationship and enhanced team performance.
Networking is the process of building long term relationships with people in the most beneficial manner . Networking is not a simple process of meeting and greeting people . It is a skill that every individual should learn and enhance for holistic development . Networking skill is a pre-requisite for building efficient people skills for managers .
Types of Networking
Networking for managers can be at operational level, personal level or at a strategic level . Operational networking includes the relationships that managers need to sustain to effectively conduct their jobs . Strategic networking is most essential for managers as it includes the maintenance of business relationships with peers and senior managers and also within the organizational value chain .
Knowledge Gaps in Organizations
The growing complexity of the organizational structures functioning in a complex, dynamic and global business environment together creates the necessity for effective networking skills for managers to exchange information within the value chain network and within the organizations for better performance .
Figure 1 Knowledge Gap in Organizations .
There is a growing pressure on managers to cover the knowledge gap that exists between employees at various organizational levels (Figure 1). New managers need to focus on their networking skills to cover this knowledge gap and improve their individual performance within the organization.
Organizations have invested in communication networks in the form of intranets and other technology tools to enhance business networking within the organization . However, the onus is on managers to invent and set up their own communication channels to anticipate issues, get the necessary support and solve critical issues faster .
Advantages of Networking for Managers
Research studies indicate that successful managers spend as much as 70 percent more time on networking than their peers and people with rich social networks are better informed, more creative, more efficient and better problem solvers than than those who have limited networks . Managers who are well networked have better relationships with other employees and are able to get things done based on the rapport with their colleagues and efficiently solve routine organizational and operational hurdles . Managers with rich networks have supporters and advocates in the organization that ensure the implementation of decisions and ideas proposed by the managers . Advanced networking skills can bring faster salary growth, promotions, and better organizational success for managers .
Networking may also be seen as an important career management strategy in the era of boundaryless careers in the current time . The boundaryless careers assume dynamic environments where managers take responsibility for their career futures . Engaging in networking behaviour is an important method for managers to proactively manage their management careers . Networking behaviour is the individual’s attempt to develop and maintain relationships with others so as to assist them in their work or career .
Networking for managers contributes a great deal towards organizational success in the challenging business environment. Managers need to develop ad enhance key networking skills to be successful in their managerial job profiles.
Some of the major skills for networking include the effective ability to ask questions, good communication skills, rapport building skills, showing genuine interest in others, use of proper body language and gestures, assertiveness and flexibility and adaptability in various situations .
The demographic characteristics of managers such as age, gender, educational qualifications and the personality types and attitudes and behaviours such as self-esteem, extraversion and response to the organizational politics relate to their involvement in networking behaviour .
Networking Strategies
Managers need to strategise their approach towards successful networking to create meaningful networks within organizations and beyond.
Target activities: Managers need to carefully select the networking activities which are likely to benefit them in the long run, and provide with better returns on investments
Focus on Relationships: Retaionship building takes considerable time. Managers need to devote time towards building meaningful relationships which have an element of trust and friendship so as to enable them to improve their networking skills .
Deliver Value: Managers need to understand that they need to deliver value in the networks they are investing in .
Count on Opportunities: Manny social events such as conferences, meetings and reviews provide ample networking opportunities for managers. Managers need to take advantage of these networking opportunities and expand their social networks.
Social Media Networks: Social media networks are an excellent resource to connect with colleagues and business partners. LinkedIn and Facebook are excellent platforms for networking through social media for managers .
Figure 2 Social Media Ecosystem
Managers need to overcome communication barriers and need to invest time in relationships for successful networking . Cross-cultural barriers in global organizations need to be addressed using efficient networking skills and adapting business practices, according to the cultural norms .
Business Networks
Business networks are a collection of people with a broad array of knowledge and experience, to which individuals are connected . An effective business network creates a faster response that may be in the form of a prompt reply to email communication . Business networks are essential in effective job transitions for employees that are recently promoted to higher organizational levels and play a critical role for recently promoted managers .
It is important to not confuse a business network with a social network. Social networks consist of people known to an individual and share similarity with the individuals . Social networks cannot substitute the need for a robust business network for knowledge sharing and support .
Organizations need to develop and sustain relationships within the value chain network that may essentially include the customers, competitors, complementors and suppliers (Figure 2). The success of organizations as a business unit largely depends on how it interacts with other market participants .
Figure 3 Value Net for Firms .
Networking and relationships are as much as about being manageable as they are about managing . Business relationships involve both proactive and reactive elements . Networking happens in a state of paradox that may consist of various elements such as initiating and responding, acting and reacting, leading and following, influencing and being influenced, planning and coping, strategizing and improvising, forcing and adapting . A balance of various elements of networking is essential for the creation and maintenance of a successful network.
Conclusion
Managers need to understand the complexity of relationships within and beyond the organization so as to carefully maintain networking with the members of the organizational value net. There is a need to effectively monitor the performance of networks and evaluate their returns on investment. Managers need to develop and enhance their communication skills and leadership skills to manage and network with people so as to contribute towards the success of organizations in a complex business environment.
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