Speaker’s Corner – December 2009

Business Networking: A Necessary Third Millenium Skill

William Byham, Ph. D.

Development Dimensions International

Business networking is synonymous to the hot buzz terms: connectivity, collaboration, relationship management, social capital, building coalitions, and social acumen. Networks are useful; not only to land future jobs, but also to increase the number of people who can readily provide you with business-related information in one’s current role. Sometimes researching a problem takes more time than reaching out to a contact. An ideal business network includes people with business-related knowledge that are a phone call away or will answer an email within 24 hours. Thus, your network should focus on quality, not quantity. Five hundred contacts of hard-to-reach acquaintances are not as valuable as twenty-five knowledgeable contacts that will reliably be available for support.

Organization rarely teach employees how to build an adequate network – it’s in your hands. The farther you go up the ladder, the more useful business networks are to your career and the productivity of the organization. In other words, the more advanced your role in the organization, the more knowledge needed from constituents around the globe. Even though most organizations do not have time to expand each employee’s business network, they often actively support the process. Holding summits, conferences, and networking functions bring together knowledgeable people that will presumably make valuable contacts for the future. The organization benefits from connected employees because they are more in-tune to best practices, more likely to anticipate problems, more aware of who has needed expertise, and more aware of who to develop for key positions. Because connected employees have greater strategic reach, they will also have better status within the organization. Research shows networking is related to salary growth, increased promotions, perceived career success, and job satisfaction.

DDI recognizes that networks are valuable and has developed a program to encourage business networks within the organization. The program include:

• Evaluating networking abilities in hiring decisions
• Holding a new associate orientation for a broad cross-section of people, in order to facilitate gatherings before and after the event
• Providing new hires with feedback and training on networking skills
• Training managers to encourage, facilitate, and support business networking
• Measuring networking and collaboration through a performance management system and annual values surveys

Level I Networking – Contacts within the team/work group or among related teams/work groups

Managerial training on Level I networking should focus on promoting individuals to seek information from team members. New hires, right out of college, are less likely to ask for help because they are accustomed to working individually. They often tackle an issue themselves before reaching out to others. As a manager, it is important to focus on these individuals and guide them towards a more collaborative work method. Managers are likely to see accelerated productivity if they take newer employees under their wing to help them build connections. Employees who have worked longer at a particular company have much larger internal networks to utilize.

Level II – Contacts throughout the entire organization and people outside the organization (customers, suppliers, professional colleagues).

Level II networking takes more personal time to build and maintain. Meeting people and making contacts is important, but just as important, is your ability to maintain the relationship. Dr. Byham suggests spending about an hour a week networking. With the advent of social networking tools, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, Level II networking has become much easier and more efficient. Social networking’s psychological impact is an important issue for our field. Nearly half of 322 organizations surveyed used social networking techniques/software for business networking purposes. Contacting individuals with similar business interests can be done in seconds. However, social networks are not the same as business networks!

Take-home Networking Advice

• If you already have a job, you still need to maintain contact with people in your network. Continue to send links, e-mails, profiles, recommendations.
• Networking should be focused. Don’t spam. When you contact someone, make sure it is purposeful.
• If you ask for help, research the person you are asking before you approach them.
• Remember that social networking sites are simply tools. You still have to maintain contact outside the computer interface.