Neil Farmer is a Business Change Consultant and the author of Total Business Design previously published by Wiley in 1996. The Invisible Organization is based on the considerable experience, processes and techniques used by Neil and his colleagues in developing successful change in organizations. The content and approach is of interest to consultants, business managers and leaders at all levels and particularly those involved in Organizational Development, Change and Human Resources.
The stated purpose of the text is to explain how organizational design can be adapted to the informal networks which form much of the basis for communication between managers and employees.
In setting the scene for the book Farmer contends “Unlike the formal leadership structure of a traditional organization chart there is not a single or small group of leaders in organizations, but lots of them. Some leaders influence the views of many people and some just one or two, influencing and ‘leading’ at all levels across your organization … . More than three‐quarters of the leaders in your organization are probably not in the management hierarchy at all! This is the Invisible Organization; a world of influencers and informal employee networks that most accurately reflect the ‘real world’ in your organization.”
Farmer explains that the fundamental idea behind the book is one where business can be best managed through a balanced implementation of formal and informal networks.
The text and content then go on to explore and explain how this might be achieved. There are six chapters within the book:
- 1.
The failure of business leadership. This chapter identifies the gap between business strategy and effective implementation and the difficulties experienced in engaging key employees to drive culture change, as two important reasons why change initiatives fail. Identifying and engaging natural leaders across an organization and harnessing natural local leaders (influencers with extensive personal networks) to drive and implement profound changes, are suggested as positive ways forward. In achieving a balanced approach, more collaborative working between managers, influencers and those with key personal networks is also identified as a key approach.
- 2.
The importance of influencers. Explores the reality of formal and informal leadership and develops the theme of who key influencers might be, how to identify them and how they can be utilised to support and progress effective change. Amongst key management skills suggested are better collaboration and communication. Accurately identifying influence networks and then engaging selected influencers to drive change are key messages from this chapter.
- 3.
The importance of informal employee networks. Looks at and explains the development of Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) in providing a pictorial scan of informal organizational networks and activities. In doing so four main elements of effective ONA methods are described. Analysing informal personal networks and utilising influencer engagement techniques are explored and managing the business using informal employee networks is also highlighted. Essentially this is the “nuts and bolts” chapter of the book.
- 4.
Balancing formal and informal employee networks. Takes a practical approach to exploring different types of business change, change management and key players within an integrated process which seeks to achieve the best balance between formal structures and informal networks. Culture change and measurement and the impact of outsourcing on informal networks (and vice versa) are also covered in this chapter.
- 5.
Throwing out those tired old HR nodels. Critically evaluates elements of HR models and questions traditional practices. How to make employee engagement work is explored as is the move towards creating a high performance workplace. Five radical elements towards creating the latter are identified within this chapter.
- 6.
Managing your business using informal employee networks. Explains how balanced networks can be used to address problems in a failing organization. Within this chapter practical examples of major change using informal networks are given, as are eight examples of solving different organizational problems using ONA scans. CEO support for a balanced formal and informal network approach is also highlighted.
The text and structure of the book lead the reader in a step by step approach through the key elements of making informal networks work in the process of change. The dynamics of retaining elements of command and control whilst also appreciating and utilising the “shadow” side of organizations' are well explained. Main and side headings and well presented figures and diagrams are used to illustrate key elements of the text. Views and Clues boxes in each chapter identify a range of published practical and theoretical material, although the Bibliography is not particularly expansive. Chapter summaries capture the important aspects of each chapter. There are two Appendices to the text: Appendix 1 Using informal networks – questions and answers and Appendix 2 – Final reflections on leadership and change.
The back cover of the book describes the content as “A blueprint for transforming business performance through your shadow organisation”. The reader is presented with a range of ideas to help in achieving this. The author has undoubted expertise in the books topic matter and shares this whilst also taking the opportunity to sell to the reader a consultancy concept namely the Innovative Management Programme (detailed on the final two pages). This programme offers potential access to software products for social/organizational network analysis some of which are described in the book. The price of this book and also of the Innovative Management Programme may cause the reader to further investigate the benefits being sold by the author, before committing not inconsiderable amounts of time and money to the implementation of informal network ideas and initiatives.
