The business potential of co-operation

Communicating restrictive measures to employees in the way management wants these to be interpreted is a major problem all over the world. It was a mystery for the top management of a Hungarian manufacturing enterprise why a rumour had began to spread among employees that a large scale lay-off was coming. It was eventually found that employees in production facilities had begun to generate news for themselves in the absence of athentic information and under the influence of a work safety officer (the original source of the rumour). It is unlikely that is a unique phenomenon. This is why the Maven7 methodology for network research deserves attention. The technology for Maven7 has been developed by researchers at the Biological Physics Faculty of ELTE under the leadership of Dr. Tamás Vicsek. Their algorithm for identifying communities was published in Nature in 2005 and 2007. The intention of management is to develop formal structures which allows complex operations to be kept under control. Informal networks also exist which have a major influence on operation. Network research can uncover such informal networks and identify key figures. The first step is to uncover sympathy choices within the organisation with the help of questionnaires and interviews. This allows a multidimensional and comprehensive diagram of interpersonal relations to be prepared. This can help in defining measures in boosting performance of the group or in preventing conflicts. One of the biggest advantages of the know how developed is that it combines analysis of the internal dynamics of the group with the latest approaches used in network research which allows the hierarchy between groups and their inter-linked operation to be understood. Co-operation within company structures is not only important in order to prevent rumours spreading but also has a major effect on performance. According to a study published in the Harvard Business Journal in 2007, simple communicational problems had lead to the penalties which Airbus was forced to pay in connection with the delays in the development of the A380. It has also been revealed using Maven7 in analysing the operation of a Hungarian IT company that informal relations have a strong influence on success. As a result of the findings, a team leader was replaced by someone who had been found to carry a lot of weight in terms of informal relations. Similarly, it has also been found that branches of banks where employees co-operate closely produce results which are twice as good as in other branches. Analysis of cell phone calls by 4 million customers has also allowed researchers to identify groups of customers which can be expected to produce growth or disappear. shrink or disappear. This also allows to identify customers who have the biggest influence on others.