Leading outside the lines: How to Mobilize the (in)Formal Organization, Energize Your Team, and Get Better Results

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Mobilizing

A Different Kind of Managing

 

 

 

 

As you know by now, the role of the informal organization cannot be left to chance. The mistake that too many leaders make, however, is trying to manage the informal by applying the same best practices that work for the formal. They find it almost irresistible to create a hierarchy, a program, and a reporting structure for the informal. They put someone in charge of designing a network program, assign someone else to manage it, and have both report to a vice president of the community. These formal leaders proceed to set goals and accountabilities for interactions and launch informal programs defined by critical path milestones, with sharply defined gating factors. Some may pay bonuses to ...