Tactics to Make Your Business a Networked Organization, Part 2

2. Make roles the building blocks of the network, not jobs. In a value network system, any one person might play three or four different roles in three or four key value networks in the organization. It’s hard to model that organization, but here are some tips to get started.

The value network is about how communication converts knowledge assets into revenue and profit. The first step is to define the roles and interactions that make the system — i.e., the value-creating network. Once defined, it’s important to avoid simply trying to import the definition into an organization chart.