Hi everyone!

Today's Jimmy Brief is all about networks. In particular, informal ones.

The unseen network

You might be the very best at your job. You might have a comprehensive stakeholder analysis framework. You might have scoured the organisational chart for all the impacted parties. But if you don't know that the CTO and one of the architects play golf on the last Friday of every month, you are effectively running blind.

Organisations do not work how they say they work on paper. 

The delta between how they say they work, and how they actually work can vary. At best, it's some informal relationships and gossip and things mostly work as they say they do.

But at worst, information and influence bears no relation to the formal structure. There's what is said happens, and then there's this whole other system that is not documented, not governed, and wild.

‘Tis human nature …

Ultimately, organisations are a network of people. 

Except all human relationships are some kind of power relationships (to paraphrase Foucault) and humans tend to exploit opportunities to gain influence and power if the opportunity is available.

There's a reason there are whole genres dedicated to how absolutely shitty humans would be in the absence of a formal power structure. Lord of the Flies, The Walking Dead, Lost, or more recently Civil War are just some examples.

But opportunities to be shitty aren't exclusive to extreme circumstances: Opportunities to be shitty exist in the everyday. 

Yes, Taylor might totally backstab their boss if doing so will engender some favourable outcome down the road. And yeah, Riley might break the confidence of their colleagues if it buys them credit with that manager they are hoping to be promoted by. Or (to take a less shitty example of people being people), Morgan might quietly work around the formal process to resolve a customer issue. 

The cumulative effect of these countless minor transgressions – along with many well-intentioned but unofficial acts – causes organisations to drift from their formal structure. 

Sometimes a little. Sometimes a lot.

Beyond the org chart

The upshot of all of this is that you can't assume the formal and documented processes and roles are actually how things get done. Your first task in any role should be to work out how stuff actually works where you are – something you want to do before all the weird stuff becomes normalised. 

And the biggest ingredient to “how stuff works” is always people. Who is making decisions? Who do they consult with? Who do they source information from? Who’s got their ear? Who frames the problems? Who sets the agenda? Who are they playing golf with on the weekend?

People are never as simple as an org chart makes it appear.

And pretending that they are means that you're playing blind.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this (or anything else), so do reply to this email, DM me on LinkedIn, or send me a letter via pigeon. 

I cannot tell you how much I like hearing from y'all!

And until next time, stay excellent! 💖
Hannah