1. STR ATEGY & ORG ANIZ ATION | TECHNOLOGY | ENGINEERING & OPER ATIONS | A N A LY T I C S
About Booz Allen
Booz Allen Hamilton is
Getting Connected
a leading provider of
management and technology Embrace the Power of Organizational Networks to
consulting services to the
US government in defense,
Improve Performance
intelligence, and civil markets, The consequences of failed collaboration are far reaching. A multimillion-dollar IT moderniza-
and to major corporations, tion falls short of its promise because managers and employees sub-optimize its function-
institutions, and not-for-profit ality. Financial analysts in regulatory agencies do not collaborate and thus fail to detect the
organizations. Booz Allen is onset of a crisis in the mortgage lending industry. A large federal agency struggles with a
headquartered in McLean,
major reorganization because newly realigned units are unable to fully integrate their opera-
Virginia, employs more than
tions. These familiar examples are drawn from today’s headlines and all share a common
25,000 people, and had
denominator: They are in large part the result of a failure in the organizational network. These
revenue of $5.59 billion
various networks determine how effectively members of an organization can share informa-
for the 12 months ended
March 31, 2011. (NYSE: BAH) tion and insights, work across departmental boundaries, and embrace or reject new ideas.
Today’s highest performing organizations have realized that they must be connected and
For more information contact
collaborative within their own ranks, as well as with their stakeholders and partners. By
Jack Mayer understanding and empowering connections among employees, customers, and partners,
Executive Vice President connected organizations are better able to rapidly collect, analyze, and share business and
mayer_jack@bah.com
mission intelligence while outperforming and outlasting organizations that remain stovepiped
703-917-2127
and bureaucratically compartmentalized. Being a connected organization means senior
Ron Sanders leaders can focus on strategic issues while allowing capable subordinates to make routine
Senior Executive Advisor decisions; employees can reduce duplicative work and instead build on the existing efforts
sanders_ron@bah.com of other teams; and individuals who recognize bottlenecks between departments can work
703-984-0016 together to identify solutions.
Facebook.com/boozallen Formal Organization Collaboration Network
Twitter.com/boozallen
Department Department
Head Head
YouTube.com/boozallen Strategy
Manager
Analytics
LinkedIn.com/company/ Strategy Technology Analytics Manager
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Flickr.com/photos/boozallen S1 T1 A1 S3
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www.boozallen.com S2
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The chart on the left is a typical organizational chart. Within it are hidden networks—the
networks within which work is performed. The right is a true collaboration network.
Booz Allen Can Help You Be Ready for What’s Next
Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading strategy and technology consulting firm, works with clients to
help them become more connected and collaborative in a strategic, mission-oriented way.
A connected organization utilizes internal social networks by harnessing the strengths of
existing informal networks and deliberately architecting solutions to network weaknesses.
Ready for what’s next. www.boozallen.com

2. The first step toward creating a connected organization is understanding the informal social
networks that reflect how work actually gets done. By applying Organizational Network
Analysis (ONA), Booz Allen helps clients identify the underlying factors that can hold an
organization back or enable it to perform efficiently and adapt to new challenges. ONA
enables leaders to quickly understand the real structure of an organization—mission-critical
interpersonal networks and key external actors—customers, oversight committees, allies,
adversaries, reporters, and regulators.
How Connected Is Your Organization?
Connected organizations contain networks that enable workers to connect efficiently and
effectively to get work done. Connected organizations can adapt to changing demands and
overcome inefficiencies without overwhelming leaders’ time and capabilities.
Booz Allen helps clients consider the following
questions: Networks > Organizational Charts
“Experienced network managers who
• Do geographical or organizational boundaries can use maps to identify, leverage, and
hinder communication or collaboration in your revamp informal networks will become
organization? increasingly valuable as companies
continue to flatten and rely on teams.
• Do factions, tribes, or distinct cultures have As organizations abandon hierarchical
trouble working together? structures, managers will have to rely
less on the authority inherent in their
• Are technical or administrative experts over- or title and more on their relationships
under-tasked? Do employees know how to with players in their informal networks.
easily find the right people to answer their Understanding relationships will be the
key to managerial success.”
questions?
— David Krackhardt
• Do employees trust or distrust certain leaders? Member of the Booz Allen Center
Do you know why? for Connected Organizations
& Jeffrey Hanson
• Who are the key bridges and knowledge “Informal Networks:
brokers? What would happen if they left? The Company Behind the Chart”
Harvard Business Review
Representative Client Experience
Booz Allen has helped its clients make invisible networks visible, allowing them to unlock the
power of connections and create a more efficient organization.
• One DoD client improved interorganizational collaboration by bringing representatives
of geographically separated organizations together for training purposes. Booz Allen
conducted ONAs before, during, and after the training course and provided quantitative
metrics describing the resulting interorganizational connections.
• In anticipation of an organizational restructuring, Booz Allen helped a large financial
institution identify the individuals central to connecting otherwise disconnected divisions.
These findings, augmenting a knowledge management effort, enabled the organization to
harness these connections in the newly reorganized structure.
• A large multi-agency, multi-contractor project was failing to meet deadlines. Booz Allen’s
ONA revealed that communication and collaboration among contractors was occurring
horizontally, in peer-to-peer fashion, while government organizations were collaborating
vertically, from leader to leader. The resulting “culture clash” was creating friction and
hindering performance until, armed with this new information, project stakeholders
addressed the issue.
Whether you’re managing today’s issues or looking beyond the horizon, count on us to help
you be ready for what’s next.
10.146.11