The Wisdom Network: An 8-step Process for Identifying, Sharing, And Leveraging Individual Expertise - Hardcover

Benton, Steve; Giovagnoli, Melissa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814473180 ISBN 13: 9780814473184

Publisher: Amacom Books, 2006

Synopsis

Get wise to the knowledge within your organization.... Within every company, a small group of people exist who know how to get things done: how to solve big problems that stump others, navigate obstacles, and anticipate emerging opportunities with amazing speed. But most companies don't make the best use of their wisest people...or even know who they are. The Wisdom Network introduces readers to an eight-step process for discovering and realizing the power of the untapped knowledge that exists within their organization. The book shows how to:

* establish an environment that encourages wisdom sharing and expansion of roles * identify "magnet" topics vital to the company and support ad hoc teams of experts that form around them * create unconventional measures to track the progress of the wisdom network

Employees who continuously prove their worth can be found at all levels of the organization. Here's how to reap the true value of their wisdom.

About this title

About the Author

"Steve Benton is an executive director of information technology and an officer of UBS, one of the world's largest financial services firms, where he led the effort to create and support the UBS wisdom network strategy. In addition to his technical expertise, he has in-depth knowledge of the cultural barriers to change that must be dealt with for effective knowledge sharing. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Melissa Giovagnoli is founder and president of Networlding, a consulting firm whose clients have included American Express and Motorola. She is the author or coauthor of several books, including Networlding: Building Relationships and Opportunities for Success and The Power of Two: How Companies of All Sizes Can Build Alliance Networks That Generate Business Opportunities. She lives in Chicago, Illinois."

Reviews

With all the information available in today's networked world, you'd think that the average organization would be more knowledgeable than ever before. Yet as this book points out, many organizations fail to create atmospheres where that knowledge, or more precisely the wisdom that results, can be shared. So authors Benton (an executive director of the financial services firm UBS) and Giovagnoli (president of a consulting firm called Networlding) have set out eight steps—with plenty of tips in between—to help readers create a wisdom-positive environment. Starting with the premise that certain individuals within companies are magnets for key knowledge on certain topics, the book guides readers in identifying those experts, finding topics that will attract them, and then providing a positive environment or community that will encourage them. Next, they advise on implementing that knowledge and building incentives for sharing knowledge right into performance reviews. A final chapter reflects on how to nurture wisdom networks once you've created them. Despite their rather nebulous topic, the authors have created a practical if at times overwhelming handbook that might have benefited from a few more thematic threads to tie all their tips together. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Amacom Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814473180
• ISBN 13: 9780814473184
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 228