Networking Is Only the Beginning

The answer to so many questions today is found in the one word “networking.” This is discussed in product marketing, sales training, recruiting, job searches, and just about anywhere that personal contact is necessary to begin some process. The keyword in this definition is “begin” because there is little value in simply collecting network contacts without doing something with them. As basic as this concept seems to be, we seem to get lost in the process of accumulating people without knowing where it is going or what purpose is being served. We collect “friends” on Facebook, find “contacts” on LinkedIn, and solicit “followers” on Twitter. If there is not a reason for being in league with these people, it is no more significant than collecting baseball cards. The concept of networking involves more than just accumulating online contacts and there are other steps beyond the initial contact stage that makes it all worthwhile. Networking is getting set in the starting block. Running the race to the finish line is the reason for being there.

I have often recommended Net Smart: How to Thrive Online by Howard Rheingold as a source of knowledge on surviving in the confusing world of social media and online knowledge management. About halfway through its pages is a gem about networking that quotes Arthur Himmelman on the theory that networking is only the beginning, the “…simplest, with the least risk and commitment…” method of engagement. The discussion continues with a process that steps through coordination, cooperation and collaboration. Coordination is a sharing of information, cooperation moves the effort from self interest to group interest, and collaboration is the final stage of collective activity. “It uses networking, coordination, and cooperation as building blocks…” to create an atmosphere of shared risks.

There are multiple applications of this theory of networking. From the perspective of the staffing part of the human resources arena, successful engagement involves all aspects of personal interaction.

1. Networking – It is necessary to be visible on social media and discover others with similar interests and goals. Social recruiting is said to be the future of the staffing function, but networking is also old school tactics such as attending conferences, meet-ups and interest groups. It is never time to ignore the telephone as a key sourcing and networking tool as it is the simplest electronic medium for everyone to use.
2. Coordination – By definition this requires more commitment than just networking, but it begins with making contact and discovering common interests with an eye toward future development. Uncovering the needs of the company in filling critical openings is a trigger to putting sourcing activities into motion. Reaching out through networking to job seekers helps to understand the job market and the needs of individual candidates.
3. Cooperation – This is taking coordination to the next level. Creating an atmosphere of mutual benefit to both company and candidate needs always requires marrying up the common goals of both. Each party enters into this phase with their own ideas intact, but risk a part of themselves by sharing information for the common good. Both stand to gain from the experience, but without a sacrifice of self interest things will not progress further.
4. Collaboration – On a broader scale, all of the efforts of cooperation internally (management, employees, staffing) and externally (agencies, organizations, job seekers) work together in a mix that collectively solves problems. Balancing the needs of each participant against the whole, optimizing results will usually benefit everyone in the group. A good hire promotes growth which in turn promotes further networking opportunities.
5. Looping – While not a part of the Rheingold/Himmelman theory, feedback is the glue that keeps it all together. Any system that expects to produce further output and seeks constant improvement needs to be fed by reinforcement of things that went right and correction of the things that didn’t work. Each phase is a critical point for providing such input to the preceding links in the chain.

When using the term networking loosely it dilutes the true meaning of the process. Collecting contacts as a numbers game is not networking. Instead it is the height of ego enhancement and self centeredness. True networking involves the beginning of a complex process that ultimately involves being able to overcome obstacles to achieve a shared goal.

 
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