3.2 Finding creative solutions
Networks also provide a way to increase your creativity and problem solving ability because they allow you to see things from another’s perspective. While many organisations benchmark themselves against their industry competitors, they might learn more by comparing how they do things within an organisation in a very different sector.
Imagine, for example, that you have been asked to help with a project to improve communications in a not-for-profit care company. It has grown rapidly from one to five care homes, a head office and a small number of home-based staff.
Where are you likely to learn most about how to communicate with such a dispersed group?
Any kind of organisation whose staff are spread across different sites, such as a national retailer, will be useful, not just other care organisations. They may have practices you could copy, but more importantly, they might encourage you to approach the issue in different ways.