04.09.08
Working It
In last week’s show we examined the research of University of Virginia politics professor Paul Freedman that suggests that the ever-growing barrage of political ads actually contributes to citizen education and engagement, and only rarely have negative impacts.
In today’s show, adapted from an article recently published on the Oscar Web site written by Melissa Maki, research communications coordinator for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, we look at the research of Rob Cross, associate professor in the McIntire School of Commerce, and his work helping businesses discover potential bottlenecks or disconnects in their network — providing information that is critical for businesses to improve.
One of the secrets to running a business, and getting the highest productivity is understanding how a company is structured to maximize efficiency. In the past, companies have used formal organizational charts that delineate chains of command, oversight and work flow.
But Rob Cross, associate professor in the McIntire School of Commerce, doesn’t put much stock in these formal organizational charts. His research has proven them largely irrelevant in understanding how businesses actually operate on a day-to-day basis.
Cross, an expert in social network analysis, works with companies to determine the intricate, but largely invisible connections that people form in order to get their work done.
In order to illustrate and understand these relationships, Cross interviews and surveys employees about topics such as whom they rely on for information and who helps them to accomplish tasks. “It’s like taking an X-ray to see who’s important in an organization,” he says. “A lot of the times, it’s not who leaders think it is.”
Rather than a hierarchy, the results of Cross’ mapping more closely resemble a web, graphically demonstrating countless interconnections. The diagrams Cross constructs help him to understand who is central to getting things done as well as to visualize bottlenecks or disconnects in the network — providing information that is critical for businesses to improve.
For instance, at the edges of these maps, Cross often finds people with important expertise who are underutilized by their organization. Finding ways to connect these outliers and their resources back to the organization can dramatically improve business performance.
In his analysis, Cross also looks closely at the notion of enthusiasm or what he terms “energy” and its role in an organization. He has found that people who have the ability to create enthusiasm around them establish more connections and ultimately perform better than others. Cross can pinpoint areas of a company with high and low levels of energy and give managers suggestions for fostering energy, and thus new ideas.
Cross said, “Energy is hugely predictive of where innovation starts to occur deep within an organization.”
In 2004, Cross published The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations. This book incorporated his research into a practical tool for executives.
He plans to release another book in 2009 that will feature more business ideas and diagnostics. It will be geared towards not only executives but also business students. Partnering with the Batten Institute, at the Darden School of Business, Cross is developing stories about company experiences, using social network analysis, into multimedia case examples that will accompany the book.
Cross founded and directs the “Network Roundtable”, a consortium of 80 member organizations who work with McIntire faculty to apply network techniques to critical business issues. The Roundtable tests new business ideas and measures their impact. Findings are available to members, as is faculty expertise.
Cross said, “The intent of the Roundtable is to be a conversation between McIntire and the broader commercial world. The real focus for me is how we, as a business school, can show impact.”
You’ve been listening to the Oscar Show, I’m Jacob Canon. Join us next week when our topic will be the research of John C. Herr, director of U.Va.’s Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health, and his development of the FDA approved “SpermCheck Vasectomy”, a home test that confirms men’s post-vasectomy sterility.