The Connect Effect

Article Type: Suggested reading From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 17, Issue 2

Michael Dulworth,Berrett-Koehler, 2008

Michael Dulworth proposes that effective networking is about more than the number of business cards you hand out or the numbers stored in your Blackberry– it is about how you see yourself and how you connect with the world around you. He defines the “connect effect” as the positive outcome derived from investing in your network.

The book is more of a practical guide than a rigorous, scientific examination. The author draws from his own history and conversations with several successful networkers to illustrate how networks can influence areas such as personal satisfaction, career, problem-solving abilities, learning and expertise.

The author provides the following networking tips: keep networking at the top of your priority list every day; help others in your network, first and foremost; build a personal “board of directors” to support your career and life; get organized; map your current network; be interested in people and ask them a lot of questions; go for quality over quantity; and build your personal brand.

Dulworth defines the personal board of directors As a diverse group of people“who care about you and can provide advice and guidance throughout your life”. It should include between six and ten trusted people who can act as a sounding board.

The author asserts that expert networkers: find common interests; have real conversations with people; stay in touch with people, face-to-face; stay focused; and give back or give first.

The author defines a peer-to-peer network as consisting of people who are alike in some way, usually based on their occupation. Such networks enable members to communicate things like solutions to problems. Similarly, a community of practice is a group of people who join together to help each other to solve problems and develop knowledge and expertise in an area of shared interest.

Dulworth highlights the increasing significance of networks as globalization increases and communication technologies improve. Despite advances in technologies, Dulworth and many of his interviewees emphasize the importance of the personal touch and face-to-face interactions.

Reviewed by William P. Staderman, George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia, USA.

A longer version of this review was originally published in Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 21 No. 6, 2008.