Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Information to build these networks can usually be gathered by means of a simple
questionnaire, or you can use the interview process. Examples of questions asked would be:
From whom do you seek work-related information?
To whom do you give work-related information?
When you need information or advice, is this person accessible to you?
When you need information or advice, does this person respond within a sufficient
amount of time to help you solve your problem?
How frequently have you received work-related information from this person in the past
month?
From the answers to these or similar questions a map is created that connects people who
receive information with people who have provided that information. Looking at a network of
relationships can help you to identify the integrators, or the employees who are seen by many
as experts or who are trusted as an information source. The two individuals who have the
largest number of connections are likely to know more about what is going on in the Utility and
the feelings and attitudes of the workforce than others. Recruiting such individuals to be
involved in the implementation will make your communication effort easier, as these people
have a wide reach in the informal communication network of the organization. Or, this could
represent an individual who is a bottleneck to communications. The questions then become:
Has the group become too reliant on this individual? What would happen if this individual left?
The bottom line is that the process of SNA allows organizations to assess their ability to create
and share knowledge, and once their current state is recognized, it becomes an enabler for
improving these abilities.
There are several software products available to do SNA mapping. These programs use
simple screen-oriented interfaces, allowing the user to drag nodes with the mouse and click to
add new modes. Each node is assigned a number of attributes, which are highlighted using
color and shape. There are also several tools for automatic layout of the network. Once the
mapping is complete, analysis of this structure of connections can provide information on
relationships that facilitate or impeded work, offering intervention opportunities.
In Project Study #31, the Utility used Social Network Analysis to assess the quantity and
quality of information flows. A beneficial byproduct was identification of additional SMEs critical
to this and future reuse projects.
Expected Outcomes:
Provides the Utility with an understanding of how information flows, who moves
information around and where the sources of information and knowledge sharing are.
Identifies key personnel who have the contacts and trust to be able to assist in efforts to
change the organization relative to how the work gets done.
Knowing how the communication network works gives managers the baseline upon
which they can make changes to improve communications (or relationships) between
departments or with field activities.
See:
Project Study #18 (Rice Lakes Utilities, WI)
Project Study #31 (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, NC)
Case Example #12 (AMRED, Kenya)
Case Example #20 (IBM)
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