Why should managers be concerned with informal networks?
Although there are advantages that can be harnessed from informal networks in organizations, managers should always be vigilant of the possible negatives that spring from unconventional communication between employees and the management or between themselves. Essentially, both informal and formal networks should complement each other ( Song et al., 2015) . When the motive of such communication is any other than promoting the wellbeing of the organization or personal employee development, managers ought to ensure an end or redirection of such communication to reflect the values as well as objectives of the organization in question. Informal communication, can, for example, be a hub of breeding hatred against other employees or management, segregation and sidelining company’s stakeholders. Besides this, managers should be concerned with such networks because they are a true reflection of employee's thoughts as well as undertakings. Other than the possibility of analyzing the content of discussion for the betterment of the organization undertakings, it can also be used to improve employee’s experiences, a factor that in turn affects productivity directly or indirectly. The central objective of such communication, hence, should be fruitful interaction ( Heide et al., 2018) .
How can informal networks be utilized in the context of managerial interviewing?
Informal networks are indispensable in managerial interviewing as it gives the interviewing panel the opportunity to communicate with the person being interviewed directly, put him or her at ease and hence, have a better understanding of who the person is and if he or she is fit for the given position. Beside the above Informal networking also allows a face to face interaction between the two parties, making it possible for the interviewer to see more than they would see on a paper or an email. It hence allows the team to gauged essential managerial skills such as confidence, emotional intelligence, composure as well as communication skills.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Heide, M., von Platen, S., Simonsson, C., & Falkheimer, J. (2018). Expanding the scope of strategic communication: Towards a holistic understanding of organizational complexity. International Journal of Strategic Communication , 12 (4), 452-468.
Song, X., Shi, W., Ma, Y., & Yang, C. (2015). Impact of informal networks on opinion dynamics in hierarchically formal organization. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications , 436 , 916-924.
