Refereed Publications Abstract

Mapping the value of employee collaboration

• Falling communications costs, globalization, and the increasing specialization of knowledge-based work are making collaboration within and among organizations increasingly important.
• Yet few companies understand or know how to manage the intracompany networks in which collaboration typically occurs.
• A few leading companies are beginning to map their networks of relationships, to analyze the economic costs and benefits that key interactions create, and to identify value-creating interventions.
• Successful interventions help companies to reduce complexity, redefine roles, and allocate financial, physical, and human resources more efficiently.

This article contains the following exhibits:

• Exhibit 1: A network map illustrates relationships.
• Exhibit 2: A network perspective can identify the hidden barriers to collaboration.
• Exhibit 3: Employees' interaction times can be converted into an average monthly cost of collaboration per employee.
• Exhibit 4: Network analysis can identify those employees who would benefit from personalized coaching.

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