How Social Networks Drive Change
Recently I was honoured to speak at RebelCon, a tech conference in Cork. Stephanie Sheehan and I caught up for a virtual coffee a while back, and when she heard about my talk at ShipItCon back in August, she asked if I would speak on this topic at RebelCon. The theme of both tech conference was the very relevant topic of ‘Change’.
In my talk on “Invisible Architecture: How Social Networks Drive Change”, I spoke about how a lot of work happens behind the scenes and outside of the formal org structure - a type of shadow organisation! Sometimes because of the impact they had, I had to remind myself that the people I collaborated with through the Women & Allies ERG (Employee Resource Group) had a real job as well! The role the members of this group were playing was not represented on paper. This group supported one another in challenging times, achieved many wins together, and built strong relationships that have continued beyond the organisation. As well as impacting organisational change, social networks can have a profound impact on individual change.
In my talk, I shared how one connection led to a sequence of opportunities for me. By following a mantra my sister shared with me many years ago “Say yes – figure it out later”, I accepted a request to do a Dublin Tech Talk. I got to do “Own The Room” training, I got to do my first podcast (with 5 minutes notice) and this led to many more podcasts and speaking opportunities. It would have been easy for me to say I was too busy (which wouldn’t have been a lie) but sometimes when opportunities come our way, we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone! We need to continuously change and adapt!
Complex Change
The pace of change has never been so frenetic. For organisations to be successful, teams need to be able to innovate, adapt to and embrace change. Leaders don’t (and can’t) have all the answers! In fact it is a problem if they do (or think they do)! The concept of ‘Not Invented Here’ - where we have the propensity to fall in love with our own ideas - kills innovation! It results in leaders not listening to followers and missing out on innovative ideas!
The thing about complex change is you cannot predict it; you cannot control it. The nervous system is threatened by uncertainty and unpredictability. We can try to control it by excessive planning (and the illusion of control). We might freeze, unable to make decisions amid the uncertainty. People can move into a scarcity mindset or move into fear. Brené Brown speaks about being ‘Under the line’ or ‘above the line’. Above the line is where you know you’re in fear but you’re driving. You can tell you’re under the line is when one of three characters emerge – the hero, victim or villain. Noone is that good that they don’t need to collaborate with others. Leaning into our humanity and recognising the power of our social networks helps us move out of fear.
The Myth That People Don’t Like Change
There is a common myth that people don’t like change. In fact, most people love change. We regularly and intentionally make changes – we change what we wear, what we eat, where we go on holidays! What we resist is imposed change! Autonomy is one of the core universal needs for motivation. The ideal is being part of the decision, but when this is not possible, at least understanding the path to the decision is helpful in accepting change. Sometimes we may have to disagree and commit. When we resist change, our energy can be wasted on something we cannot change, and we can make it harder for ourselves. The CIA concept can be helpful - Considering what we can control, what we can influence and what we need to accept (or adapt). As a coach, two questions I sometimes ask of coachees when they are struggling with change are “Where do you want your energy to go?” and “Where do you have power that you are not using?”
BANI
The term VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) has been used for many years but more recently we are hearing BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear, Incomprehensible) being used to describe the chaotic and unstable times we are operating in.
“We are in an age of chaos, an era that intensely, almost violently, rejects structure. It isn’t simple instability, it’s a reality that seems to actively resist efforts to understand what the hell is going on. This current moment of political mayhem, climate disasters, and global pandemic - and so much more - vividly demonstrates the need for a way of making sense of the world, the need for a new method or tool to see the shapes this age of chaos takes” - Jamais Cascio
Sensemaking
To implement change, we need to be able to make sense of the world we operate in. Organizational psychologist Karl Weick demonstrated through his pioneering research on sensemaking in the 1960s that humans don't simply process information; they actively construct meaning from ambiguous cues, and the sensemaking process is fundamentally social. We have moved from the expectation that leaders should have all the answers, to leaders helping make sense of the unknown, to meaning being co-created by leaders and followers.
"The most effective leaders are no longer the ones with the best answers, but the ones who host the best conversations” - Jennifer Garvey Berger
The Leadership Shadow
Recent Gallup Research (across 52 countries and territories accounting for 76% of the world’s adult population and 86% of global gross domestic product) showed that the top thing followers need from leaders is hope, (followed by trust). Leaders cast a long shadow and can be multipliers or diminishers. There are so many people carrying trauma from terrible leaders. Alternatively, people’s self-belief can be positively impacted by great leaders. Your leadership shadow is made up of what you say, your actions, what your prioritise and how you measure. When people step into leadership roles and are not given supports and training, the negative impacts can be far reaching. Even seasoned leaders need to continually reflect, learn and unlearn. Leadership programmes and coaching can be transformative on many levels – they can positively impact leaders who attend, followers, the wider organisation and communities.
If you’d like a little hope, check out the video “How Wolves Change Rivers” in References below which shows the unforeseen positive consequences of change.
Making The Invisible Visible
Let’s look at three aspects that may be invisible and bring them into the light.
1. Invisible Architecture: Organisational Hierarchy
When we think about how organisational change gets done, there may be an informal network at play. We go to people to get information to effect change who may not be on a formal org structure or may not be included on a list of people involved in a project or initiative. There may be a ‘shadow organisation’ operating behind the scenes - sharing information, support, and solving challenges. This may not be visible to leaders in an organisation.
Organisational Network Analysis (ONA)
Rob Cross and Laurence Prusak in their 2002 HBR article shared research into how informal networks drive organisational performance.
They identified four critical linking roles:
The Central Connector – people who link most people in the network. They are often not in leadership roles but are go-to sources for information. When they are absent, information flow can be significantly disrupted.
The Boundary Spanner – people who connect different groups, functions or divisions. They are crucial for cross-functional collaboration and breaking down silos as they foster innovation by bridging knowledge domains.
The Information Broker – people who connect sub-groups within a network and act as gatekeepers or bridges, facilitating the efficient spread of information.
Peripheral Specialists – people on the edge of the network with deep expertise, who may not be involved in daily operations but are vital when specific knowledge is required.
Informal networks run alongside formal org charts. Organisations and leaders may be unaware of or not recognise the key part informal networks play in driving successful organisational change. ONA (Organisational Network Analysis) can be conducted to better understand how change really happens. ONA can show who talks to whom, who shares knowledge with whom, making invisible patterns visible. It can help make bottlenecks noticeable and highlight disconnected teams and hidden influencers.
AI Interactions
There are many benefits of AI, but one of the hidden impacts may be how its use could negatively impact relationships in the workplace. Brian Elliott wrote about how heavy AI users are becoming disconnected from their teams. There are many reasons this may be the case. People work hard to stay out of discomfort and conflict avoidance is one such example. While teammates may challenge your perspective, AI will probably tell you that your idea is great! Organisations and leaders need to consider the unexpected impacts such as this that AI may have on team dynamics.
Virtual Relationships
In research conducted in 2020, it was found that virtual work can be perceived as more formal, efficiency-oriented and traceable. Because of this, workers may be more selective about who they interact with, and about when and how they engage. They may consider if they and their co-workers have time to build non-work focused relationships. When people go into the office, there is now an expectation that some of their time will be spent catching up with others. If people feel their time needs to be focused on being productive when in remote environments, this can have a negative impact on proactivity about relationship building. In my last organisation, I found it greatly beneficial to be intentional about connecting with people who I didn’t interact with through my day-to-day work. I was proactive about setting up recurring calls with leaders of other areas within tech and product. This served as a way of staying aligned on our high-level vision, goals and of building awareness of any challenges. It also helped with career progression, as leaders who had a say in pay and promotion decisions were aware of what my team and I were focused on. Trust is built by co-workers engaging in both work-related and friendship related cadence of interaction.
Let’s consider a second dimension that may be invisible to us or to those who are in our network.
2. Invisible Architecture: Social Capital
You often hear the phrase “Your Network is Your Net Worth”. Social networks helps us build and sustain the relationships that shape our careers and our impact. Social capital is the actual and potential resources embedded within, available through and derived from your network of relationships. There are three dimensions:
Structural – who you have access to through your network
Relational – what you feel about the people you know/the trust you have
Cognitive – a shared understanding and meaning/shared language
Social capital unlocks collaboration and innovation, fosters trust and increases productivity.
PIE
Harvey Coleman came up with the concept of PIE (Performance, Image, Exposure) to demonstrate that although performance is foundational, and plays a vital role in career progress, it only accounts for 10% of your overall advancement. Image and how others perceive your potential, accounts for 30% of your career progress. “You get paid on performance; you get promoted on what other people think of your potential”. Exposure, and the ability to showcase your abilities to the right people, accounts for 60% of your career progress. Building a strong network, getting involved in cross cutting initiatives outside your core role, and seeking visibility within and external to your organisation can help you increase your exposure. Our social networks play a vital role in our success.
Your Social Network
Who is in your social network? Who supports or has supported you with your career or future aspirations? It is worth analysing the types of contacts your network is made up of:
Operational – people who support you to do your job from a tactical persepctive
Strategic – people in your network who identify future opportunities
Personal – people who act as a sounding board for current or future interests
It is worth considering how diverse your network is, and whose perspective you are missing. Whose expertise in your network do you not leverage?
Research from 1974 by Granovetter highlighted that we get more opportunities from ‘weak ties’. This is the invisible architecture at play – these are people who are not on your radar. They may be acquaintances or people you don’t interact with regularly. They may be a friend of a friend or someone you meet at an event. ‘Weak ties’ connect you to people and spaces you wouldn’t otherwise reach.
Inter-generational Relationships
We now have five generations active in the workplace, which offers unprecedented opportunities for idea exchange, empathy and collaboration across all age groups. I am a big fan of reverse mentoring. I have mentored and been mentored many times in my career. I always learn just as much from the mentee as they learn from me. Age diversity is a strength, not a barrier.
“Age does not assure wisdom, nor does youth always indicate a lack of it”
- Starr, 2014
According to the book “The 100 Year Life” we need to consider how we can sustain a longer career than we would have envisioned. We have moved from a three-stage life (education, career, retirement) to a multi-stage life, where transitions will be the norm. Age is not a stage anymore and we can expect to be ‘younger for longer’. Social capital is critical to navigate longer careers and becomes more important in a multi-stage life.
“As you age, it is likely that your sources of social support will need to change. What you need are broad and diverse social networks - networks that span different domains of life and that can support you through transitions.”
- “The 100-Year Life”, Lynda Grattan, Adam Scott
We need to intentionally invest in relationships that offer support, inspiration and opportunity across time.
Networking
In Ireland, many people are a little allergic to the concept of ‘networking’. It can feel a bit fake, inauthentic. But networking is just about talking to people. If networking sends you out in a rash, here are a few simple tips that may be helpful:
Start with ‘curiosity’
Offer to help before asking for something
Be where you are (there is nothing worse than someone looking over your shoulder to see if there is someone more interesting to talk to!)
Have an elevator pitch – a one liner in words you are comfortable with to explain the impact of what you do (avoid jargon)
Follow up afterwards
I have met so many wonderful people in ‘networking’ situations! I have shared a lovely article with tips on networking for introverts in References.
3. Invisible Architecture: Your Personal ‘Board of Directors’
Another piece that may be invisible is that you may have, or be on, a personal board of directors. Within your network you may have different ‘go-to’ people depending on the topic. Maybe you are struggling and need a lift, so you go to a friend or colleague who really ‘gets’ you and reminds you that you’re doing great. Or you want someone to challenge your thinking so you go to someone who will be honest and not just tell you that you’re right. It is important that we don’t just surround ourselves with ‘yes’ people! Being intentional about having a diverse network enables us to benefit from broader perspectives. Our support network may be made up of mentors, coaches, sponsors (people who speak about us when we are not in the room), and communities – internal (such as Communities of Practice) and external (such as conferences, MeetUps). People may not know they are on your personal board of directors, but it is vital that we nurture these relationships.
The Hidden Influence of Social Networks
“Emotions have a collective existence”
-Nicholas Christakis
A hospice doctor in Chicago, Nicholas Christakis, was studying ‘the widowhood effect’ – if someone’s partner dies, their own risk of dying in the next year is doubled. He noticed that the widowhood effect was not restricted to pairs of people. When he mapped this out, he noticed that unhappy people tended to be located at the edges of the happiness clusters. He found that emotions, such as happiness or unhappiness, spread through social networks to three degrees of separation. He then studied real networks of college students. He noted differences between two students who both had four friends. Student A’s friend knew one another but student B’s didn’t. Transactivity in networks occurs when people introduce their friends to one another. People say “Inconvenience is the cost of community”. The benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs. A call to action: If you are not already intentional about investing in your support network, take one step today and get in touch with just one person!
How The Leading Place Can Support You
Get in touch if you would like to learn more about any of the topics mentioned in this article! The Leading Place offers transformational Leadership Development Programmes - I would be happy to discuss options. If you are ready to invest in coaching for yourself or your team, feel free to book a call! Check out some testimonials here.
References & Links
• Michelle McDaid, The Leading Place: Podcasts & Articles
• BANI: Forbes article
• Enhancing Open Innovation: Not Invented Here Syndrome
• MIT’s Deborah Ancona: Credible Leaders Walk the Talk: An Updated Leadership Framework
• Sensemaking: Forbes article by Michael Hudson
• Gallup Research: What People Need Most From Leaders
• HBR Article by Rob Cross and Laurence Prusak
• Video: How Wolves Change Rivers
• Brian Elliott “The Relationship Crisis At Work”
• Schinoff, B.S., Ashforth, B.E. and Corley, K.G. (2020) ‘Virtually (In)separable: The Centrality of Relational Cadence in the Formation of Virtual Multiplex Relationships’
• Nicholas Christakis TED Talk: The Hidden Effect of Social Networks
• Harvey Coleman’s PIE
• Dr Han Ren: The Cost of Friendship is inconvenience
• Melinda Seckington – 3 Networking Tips for Introverts
