Organizational Network Analysis: Finding the Hidden Influencers Who Really Get Things Done

As a leader, you have an organizational chart. It's a neat, hierarchical map of who reports to whom. It defines the formal structure of your company. But it's a fiction. The org chart does not show how work actually gets done. It does not show who has the real influence, who the go-to experts are, or where the hidden bottlenecks in communication lie. To see that, you need to look beyond the formal structure and map the informal network that is the true nervous system of your organization.

Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) is a powerful, data-driven technique for doing just that. By analyzing communication patterns (such as email, calendar, and instant messaging data, all done in an anonymized and ethical way), ONA creates a map of how information and influence really flow through your company. It provides a data-backed, X-ray view of your organization's informal structure, and the insights it reveals are often a revelation for senior leaders.

The Three Critical Insights ONA Provides

An ONA can surface a wealth of strategic insights, but they typically fall into three critical categories for a business leader.

1. Identifying the Hidden "Linchpins"

In every organization, there are individuals who, regardless of their formal title, are the central hubs of communication and knowledge. These are your "linchpins." They are the people who are constantly sought out for their expertise, who act as the bridge between different departments, and who are critical to the success of cross-functional projects. The org chart doesn't show you who these people are, but an ONA makes them immediately visible. Identifying these linchpins is critical for succession planning and talent retention, as the departure of one of these individuals can have an outsized and often devastating impact on the organization.

2. Diagnosing Collaboration Gaps and Silos

Your strategy may depend on close collaboration between your product and sales teams, but an ONA might reveal that these two groups rarely communicate. It can provide a quantitative diagnosis of the knowledge silos and collaboration gaps that are preventing your organization from executing effectively. By visualizing where communication is breaking down, you can design targeted interventions—from a simple co-location to a more formal process change—to build the collaborative muscle your strategy requires.

3. Supporting More Effective Change Management

When you are leading a major change initiative, who are the key influencers you need to get on board? The org chart will tell you to talk to the department heads. An ONA will show you the informal leaders who have the trust and respect of their peers. By identifying these key influencers, you can enlist them as champions for your change initiative, dramatically increasing the speed and success of adoption. It allows you to work with the grain of your organization's informal culture, not against it.

Your organizational chart shows you how you think your company works. An ONA shows you how it actually works. At PICO, our Organizational Design & Effectiveness Analysis service leverages cutting-edge ONA techniques to provide you with a data-driven foundation for a more effective and agile organization. We help you look beneath the surface of your formal structure to unlock the hidden potential of your informal networks.