Organizations of Networks -- Part I

McKinsey Quarterly's article Clouds, Big Data and Smart Assets: Ten Tech-Enabled Business Trends to Watch, published this month states:

"...Exploiting these trends typically doesn't fall to any one executive -- and as change accelerates, the odds of missing a beat rise significantly. For senior executives, therefore, merely understanding the ten trends outlined here isn't enough.  They also need to think strategically about how to adapt management and organizational structure to meet these new demands (emphasis mine)."

This is a powerful understatement!

With the rapidly changing world of technology and how it is impacting an executive's world is significant.  It is effecting how executives find new opportunities in their search to keep their careers meaningful, but it is also radically changing how customers and revenues are flowing to companies that are on top of the changes.

Think about how you have moved from using your laptop to using your cell phone as your primary communication tool.  Over 450 million people use their mobile device as their Web experience!

Trend #2 is "Making the network the organization."  Here McKinsey's authors Bughin, Chui and Manyika discuss how:

1. To "..tap into a world of talent," which includes all forms of services -- outsourcing, entreprenuers, and "nonemployees" (their word).
2. To utilize sociall networks and media to expand access to experts and "..set up new innovation communicities" to speed up delivery of services.
3. To leverage talent to tackle complex challenges by using networks that focus on orchestration of tasks vs. workers.

Executive Action's recommendations:

• Get familiar with social networking, social media and new technologies as they emerge because you are either going to get on board or get lost in the dust.

Call to Action:  What value has social networking/media been in your executive career?