04 Aug Informal Networks are those relationships which are formed through our work contacts but do not have a direct relationship to our work

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Informal Networks are those relationships which are formed through our work contacts but do not have a direct relationship to our work. The people in this network might include former colleagues, people we have become friends through our work, and other people whose views and advice we value. It is said that humans are social beings and hence, have an innate need to communicate, relate, and exchange information with others. We are all aware of how we form networks of familial relatives, peers, friends, and in this age of social media, virtual contacts. Therefore, being social and engaging with others comes naturally to us. Managerial interviewing strategies warrants attention to a third application which is considered networking. Social and professional networking provides excellent resources for intellectual and career management (Hynes & Veltsos 2021). In an organizational context, this means that employees tend to form networks comprising colleagues, superiors, and subordinates. Turning to the role that formal and informal networks play in ensuring organizational effectiveness, it is indeed the case that when employees know other employees not only from their immediate teams but across the organization, it leads to value enhancing activities. Informal and formal networks work best when the information being exchanged is in the interest of the organization and not against it. Managers should be concerned with informal networks because the communication network can help identify gaps in information flow, the inefficient use of resources, and the failure to generate new ideas. They should be examined when productivity is low. Managers must view informal groups as pillars of support to formal organization structures. Many organizational problems that cannot be solved officially can be smoothly solved by informal group’s id they are formally accepted by managers (smallbusiness.chron.com). They speed up transmission of useful information throughout the origination. Managers should be aware of the informal group in regards to both positive and negative aspects. The rational manager should focus on negative side than positive because negative aspects of informal groups are more dangerous and create problems to entire organization.

Networking and informational interviewing are important tools in the job/internship search. Networking is a process of building relationships that provide you with advice and information. This could allow managers to tap into unadvertised opportunities. Informational interviewing is part of the networking process and is a way to build up a network (Hynes & Veltsos 2021). The main purpose of networking is to build relationships through informational interviews. The primary purpose of networking and informational interviewing is to gather information that can lead to further contacts and information about job/internship opportunities. The main purpose of conducting an interview is to gather certain information which is required to be extracted from the interviewee. Interviews are, needless to mention, a very essential part of manpower acquirement; whereas manpower acquirement itself is the essence of staffing. Informal networks are based on the objective of achieving a reciprocal exchange of information and favors no rules share advice freely, expand the network at will, inspire each other, achieve personal goals, and help each other obtain business and career advantages. Interviews are a method of seeking a potential resource for optimal performance of the task, based on verbal conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee. The final decision is based on several aspects apart from the conversation held. Such aspects are body language, empathy, rapport building, language, and tone (smallbusiness.chron.com).

Reference:

Hynes, G. & Veltsos, J. (2021) Managerial Communication Strategies and Applications (Eighth Ed.) SAGE Publications, Inc.

CHRON (n.d.). Good Qualities of Informal Organizations

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/good-qualities-inf…