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Friday, February 12, 2016

Work e-mail still Relevant to the Performance of a Business

A STRATEGIC approach to workplace digital collaboration can help companies better understand which types of communication are most productive. Research shows that e-mail and other tools are surprisingly relevant to the performance of individuals and the business. Here are three insights:

 Picture: THINKSTOCK
1. Strong networks can predict performance: A high-growth, successful software
company compared a year of e-mail network data for people in all job functions, looking at high versus low performance ratings. The highest performers had 36% larger "strong ties" internal networks (ones that connect at least biweekly in small-group messages) than average performers, while the low performers had 6% smaller networks than average. The size and strength of people’s networks helped predict year-over-year changes in performance better than managers could.

2. Large networks can predict potential: Some companies have engagement programmes designed to further the careers of junior employees with high potential. When a large utility company examined the networks of several hundred of these employees, the data showed that they were often the most connected, even compared with other high performers in the company.
High-potential employees’ networks were 52% larger than average, but there was a group of programme participants whose networks were below average. Managers said that the less-connected employees represented people with great skills or ideas but potentially less of the extroversion or emotional intelligence required to translate their talents into influence.

3. But size does not always matter: Given the same number of connections, some networks are more effective than others if they include highly influential people. A large hardware company found that the involvement of certain sales roles is related to a tenfold improvement in customer deal size. It also discovered that certain sales roles are simply a "middleman" in bringing other roles along and do not clearly demonstrate the leadership expectations that they were trusted with.

(Adapted from "What Work Email Can Reveal About Performance and Potential" at HBR.org.)
© The New York Times 2016

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