The real power brokers who make ideas happen

Have you ever shared an idea with a colleague only to have it shot down? If that happens over and over again, I can guarantee you, you will stop sharing your ideas. Yet, ideas are the fuel of innovation. Without ideas, particularly novel ones, innovation will not even get off the ground.

So, what makes us share our ideas with some people and not others? Maybe the person is open-minded and curious, maybe they are great at building on our ideas to make them better, maybe they are influential and willing to support us.

It could be a lot of things, but fundamental to this relationship — particularly at the early stages of innovation when ideas are often raw and undefined — is trust.

We can often think of trust as a bit of a soft and woolly word, yet it is one of the most powerful motivators of human behaviour. You know when you have it, you know when you do not and it is awfully difficult to repair once it has been broken. So, how do we cultivate and manage it in our organisations?

Trust flows through social networks, and I am not necessarily talking about Facebook or LinkedIn. I am talking about the human, social connections we have in the workplace in order to get things done.

Think about the types of activities you engage in at work and who helps you do your job. Some, like getting decisions made or asking for clarity on goals, might involve certain people; other activities, such as talking about your career or catching up on the latest workplace gossip, might involve others. Trust, to one degree or another, will be involved in the choice you make.

3 KEY TRUST BROKERS

Getting things done, namely “the work”, doesn’t necessarily flow through neatly designed organisational charts. It randomly and spontaneously flows through “connectors”: People talking, listening, supporting and challenging each other in different layers of the organisation. Often not visible to hierarchy, these people are the real power brokers.

The power they have is given, not taken. It is given by their numerous trusted relationships with people around them — and, more often than not, Senior Vice-President will not be on their business card.

The science of measuring trust says there are three types of connectors in an organisation: Hubs, Gatekeepers and Pulsetakers.

Often gregarious and outgoing, Hubs know the most people and are excellent at making connections between people and ideas.

Gatekeepers know the people who know the Hubs and are past masters at allowing or inhibiting the flow of learning, knowledge and information around and across the organisation.

And Pulsetakers, well, they just know the right people, and are harder to pin-point without the mathematics.

They are the subtle and smooth operators, working their power behind the scenes. In fact, according to the science, there are seven social networks at operation at any one time, in which all these key trust brokers work. One of the most powerful and often neglected ones, is that of innovation.

WHY INNOVATION HAPPENS — OR DOESN’T

A couple of years ago, I attended a conference in New York on neuroleadership, where thought leaders from the world of neuroscience and leadership development came together to explore what science can teach us about how we lead people and develop innovative places to work.

One of the guest speakers, Dr Karen Stephenson, a leading expert in the field of social network analysis, opened my thinking to why organisations find it so hard to build and sustain a culture of innovation.

Innovation can be in your mission statement hanging on the wall or listed as one of your top organisational values — but if trust is not being cultivated within the flow of work between these important “connectors”, innovation will be eroded, diluted or even completely stalled, no matter the wishes of senior management.

Want to cultivate innovation? It will not happen if you are asking people to submit or share ideas that are killed off quietly by an influential Pulsetaker. It will not happen either if you are trying to get new ideas off the ground while a trusted Gatekeeper insists on preserving the status quo.

From my experience in working with Dr Stephenson in a variety of organisations, those that are starting to see the power of harnessing social networks and key trust relationships are the ones who have a head start in building and sustaining a culture of innovation.

So, the next time you have a good idea, think about who you trust before you share it. You never know, you might be talking to an influential Pulsetaker in the innovation network who could make your idea fly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Natalie Turner is the Founder and CEO of The Entheo Network (www.natalie-turner.net), a global innovation and leadership company headquartered in Singapore. She works with Singaporean and international companies to help build the skills and capabilities for sustainable innovation.

This is part of a weekly commentary series on Innovation that runs every Wednesday. To read the previous articles, go to tdy.sg/cominnovate.

For more information about social networks: www.netformresources.com

Are you a hub, gatekeeper or pulsetaker?

1. During the day, you:

a) interact actively and one-on-one with more than 25 colleagues a day

b) interact one-on-one with more than 10 colleagues a day

c) interact one-on-one with fewer than 10 close colleagues

2. Which statement is true:

a) work comes to a standstill when you are gone

b) if absent, others can substitute for you in the short term

c) day-to-day operations are significantly slowed when you are absent

3. Do you:

a) enjoy spending your leisure time with a close-knit group of diverse friends and colleagues?

b) associate with diverse groups of people who are very different in their careers, social activities or lifestyle?

c) enjoy spending time with a few friends who share your views on life and work?

4. At a party you:

a) are the life of it

b) stand back and observe

c) meet in the backrooms

5. Do most of your acquaintances:

a) know each other

b) know of each other but haven’t met

c) are unknown to each other

Score Points:

1 for each (a) answer

2 for each (b) answer

3 for each (c) answer

5-8 points = Hub

9-11 points = Pulsetaker

12-15 points = Gatekeeper

Disclaimer: Remember, in the world of social networks, power is given, not taken. The role you play will ultimately be determined by the level of trust people have in you. (Adapted with permission from Netform/Karen Stephenson )