The Power of Your Position in a Network
Traditionally, within a large organization where hierarchical structures reign, it is easy to think that the people at the top ultimately have the most influence and the greatest ability to create change in the workplace. However, according to a study done by writers at Harvard Business Review, this is not the case. They have found that there are three characteristics of an individual’s network position that determines how effective they are at influencing change in their workplace — no matter what position they’re in. One major finding is that individuals who are central in their respective organizational informal network tend to have the greatest ability to influence change, whether they were in a high or low position. Secondly, individuals who “bridged disconnected groups” could actually implement more dramatic reforms than those who had a more integrated network position. Additionally, being close to “fence-sitters”, people who were very unsure of their stances, was also considered a position where one can influence tremendous change. Ultimately, this study concludes that while formal authority is certainly what we have all come to know as an important source of influence, the informal influence that one has from their position in their organizational network is actually more powerful in affecting change in the organization.
An example provided in the article is that when they looked at UK’s National Health Service, which is a large government-run institution with a stringent hierarchical system, they found that their findings about networks were true. A senior doctor at the hospital, who was high up in the hierarchy but did not know very many people, tried to implement a new change initiative. However, he was met with a lot of resistance, until he spoke with a nurse who was very well connected at the hospital. She was able to help him implement his initiative, because she had a very central position in the informal network there. While she had a much lower position in the hierarchy than him, she still ultimately had more power in influencing change at the hospital.
This article was incredibly fascinating and clearly ties to the concept discussed in class. For instance, we spoke about the degree of power that an individual has in a network, depending on where he or she is in that network structure. This example provided a clear real-life application of this concept. I will definitely take this into consideration moving forward as I join large organizations and navigate the hierarchy. It’s not always about your hierarchical position, it may be about how many people you know and who you know.
Harvard Business Review Article: “The Network Secrets of Great Change Agents”
Link: https://hbr.org/2013/07/the-network-secrets-of-great-change-agents