Event Theme

Spring 2005 New England KM Cluster

Inside Social Networks

Friday, January 28, 2005

 8:00 - 5:00

Experts Peter Gloor of MIT Sloan, Kate Ehrlich of IBM Research, and Bill Ives of Portals and KM, are the sponsors of the Spring 2005 New England KM Cluster.

Recent research has identified the importance of social networks for communication, information sharing, decision-making and particularly innovation. If networks are how work gets done, how does a network, especially one within an enterprise, get created? Does it happen by chance or by design? Can managers influence the growth of networks and if so should they? How does an individual who has just changed jobs, been part of a corporate merger or started selling to a new company grow their personal network? And how do these new experiences evolve from brief encounters to sustainable connections?

In a series of three conversations, we will explore what issues affect network growth. This cluster will examine the role of personal and corporate responsibility in leading effective enterprise networks. Together, we'll discover if technology can help accelerate the pace of forming new connections and how networks evolve over time in physical and virtual space.

The panel moderator for all sessions is Mark Bonchek, Managing Director of Tapestry Networks. Prompted by issues raised by you, the panelist, Mark will facilitate in-depth conversations of the challenges and opportunities of creating sustainable social networks to meet personal and professional goals.

The focus of these conversations will shift organizational perspectives from co-ercive to co-constructive connections from hierarchies to networks, and from transactions to relationships. There are several broad themes.

Co-creation is more effective than co-ercion or intervention – members of Social Enterprises participate in change rather than be the subject of change. Whether the change or innovation involves creating new products, services, processes or simply refining those that exist, success demands that the individuals impacted by the change be involved and engaged in the process. Leaders of Social Enterprises are “guides on the side” rather than “sages on the stage.” It is important to provide people with a framework, a direction and a partial answer and then co-create the solutions.

The is a current movement from hierarchies to networks – hierarchies were designed to reduce risk and uncertainty in repeated processes. In today’s fast-paced business environment characterized by complexity, unpredictability and constant change, networks are much better suited to leverage distributed knowledge for innovation and rapid response. Creating forward movement from events requires conversion from tacit to explicit forms and from discussion to actionable insights.

Social Enterprises are run on relationships rather than transactions – To get the job done Social Enterprises rely on developing trust-based relationships between team members. These relationships also imply a time dimension; if two team members have been previously introduced, they will cooperate much more productively. Why does this matter? Because it makes the work proceed more smoothly and productively.

 

Spring 2005

New England

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Friday, Jan 28, 2005

8:00am - 5:00PM
 

Agenda

 The agenda consists of the keynote presentation followed by three interactive panels.

Eileen Clegg of Visual Insight will record the proceedings using Visual Journalism. Mark Bonchek, Managing Director of Tapestry Networks, will moderator all panels.

Bob Doyle of CMS Review, CM Professionals and SkyBuilders is the event videographer.
 

Use Webactif link to submit a question to the panels in advance of the event.

Time	Interaction	Speaker
07:30 - 08:45	Coffee and Registration	Staff
08:45 - 09:00	Introduction	Bill Ives, Portals and KM Kate Ehrlich, IBM Research Peter Gloor, MIT Sloan
09:00 - 10:00	Keynote Presentation: Personal KM and Idea Practitioners	Tom Davenport President's Distinguished Professor of Information Technology & Management  Babson College Accenture Fellow
10:00 - 10:30	Break	All
10:30 - 12:00	Panel 1 Social Context - Team Dynamics: Building Synergy Out Of Diversity Webactif: Panel 1 Questions	Patti Anklam, Hutchinson Associates Steve Borgatti,  Boston College Kate Ehrlich, IBM Research
12:00 - 1:00	Luncheon	All
1:00 - 2:30	Panel 2 The Technology Context: What is the Role of Technology Webactif: Panel 2 Questions	Cesar Brea, ESM Partners Dave Newbold, IBM Emerging Technologies Paul Trevithick, SocialPhysics.org
2:30 - 3:00	Break	All
3:00 - 4:30	Panel 3 Environmental Context: Creating Spaces for Connection and Collaboration Webactif: Panel 3 Questions	Peter Gloor, MIT Sloan Bill Ives, Portals and KM Andrew Laing, DEGW
4:30 - 5:00	Review and Recap: Visual Tableaux, Next Practices™	Eileen Clegg, Visual Insight
5:00	Adjournment

Agenda Narrative

Keynote Presentation

The keynote presentation will examine, "What does the network look like when viewed from the inside out, from the perspective of the person in the network?" How does an individual use the resources around them - whether people, technology, information, knowledge - to get the best information they can in the shortest amount of time? Tom Davenport - President's Distinguished Professor of Information Technology & Management at Babson College and an Accenture Fellow, will explore our theme in the broader perspective of personal knowledge management. Tom will also examine the social role of idea practitioners in spreading innovation.

Following this theme, in a series of interactive panel conversations, the cluster will examine practical and pressing questions required to better understand, create and lead the Social Enterprise. The panel moderator for all sessions is Mark Bonchek, Managing Director of Tapestry Networks. Mark is a globally recognized executive facilitator. He will lead us through a discussion of the challenges and opportunities to bring a network perspective - from the inside out - to creating the Social Enterprise of the future.

 

Panel 1: Social Context – Team Dynamics: Building Synergy Out Of Diversity

New connections are formed from shared interests and responsibilities.  But they are sustained through mutual trust, reciprocity and reputation.  In professional settings, it is as important for the enterprise as for the individual that anyone joining the company for the first time or in a new role is quickly assimilated and connected.  While there are many books with great stories of “networking”, here we want to consider the social and behavioral implications of building new connections within the enterprise.  Who has the responsibility for creating the network?  And how are the connections maintained? Is it up to the individual to make connections or does the enterprise through formal programs or leadership initiatives also play a role.  What are the social and organizational factors that influence network formation?  How do new connections get embedded into existing networks without seeming artificial or imposed?

Panelists: Patti Anklam, Hutchinson Associates, Kate Ehrlich, IBM Research, Steve Borgatti,  Boston College.

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Panel 2: Technology Context – What is the Role of Technology in the Social Enterprise?

Software tools for social networks have captured the imagination and substantial investment capital. They are intended to help individuals optimize their relationships to achieve favorable business outcomes. Can technology speed the relationship development process? In addition, social media like blogs and wikis extend persona and social reach. Are these individuated social technologies the next big thing in the Social Enterprise?

To harness people's knowledge and insight, we need to find people who have the key piece of knowledge or information. How do we find those people? We can use technology, “social software” to connect to new people through the people we already know.

Is this technology merely a sophisticated phone book or can it help build community?  Is technology enough?

Panelists: Judith Meskill, Social Software Weblog, Dave Newbold, IBM Emerging Technology, Paul Trevithick, SocialPhysics.org.

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Panel 3:  Environmental Context – Creating Spaces for Connection and Collaboration

The physical and organizational environment provides the larger context for social networks sometimes working with people and sometimes against people. Work takes place in a context that is both physical and virtual. What characteristics of the environment help or hinder collaborative behaviors, what are structural enhancements and barriers?

How can we bring the social and technical together under the guise of designing networks into physical and virtual space?

Are factors of time and space enablers or barriers to collaboration?  What is the right design to enable distributed collaboration?

Panelists: Peter Gloor, MIT Sloan, Bill Ives, Portals and KM, Andrew Laing, DEGW.

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Review and Recap: Visual Tableaux, Next Practices™

The theme of conversations will be transcribed using the exciting techniques of Visual Journalism. This segment allows participants to socialize and discuss the main concepts. Also throughout the day, Next Practices™ will be captured. These future focused techniques will help you begin to create and lead the Social Enterprise.

 

This deep-dive into three levels of enterprise networks will illuminate the crucial role and social experience of the individual to knowledge work. These in-depth, focused conversations will enable managers to understand and lead the social reorientation of work. The measurable benefits from creating the Social Enterprise are greater productivity, improved knowledge conductivity and flow, greater agility, more satisfied employees and delighted customers overall.