12.6. Reaping the Rewards

Thanks to her thorough assessments of the unit's networks, Downing made a quick and smooth transition into her new role and was able to rapidly implement changes that yielded business results. For example:

Improved collaboration. Because Downing had deeper insight into where various types of expertise were housed in her unit, she could respond more quickly to requests for proposals and develop higher-quality proposals. This helped her triple the unit's reach into different client engagements. That is, the number of proposals that drew on staff from her unit or that listed staff from her unit as assets to be deployed should the work be won was tripled within six months.

Higher productivity. The Organizational Strategy unit's productivity increased as measured by sales and the number of billable hours racked up by consultants. (In fact, the percentage of the unit's time billable to clients more than doubled.) Client impact also increased, as measured by client satisfaction surveys.

Improved use. The experts in Downing's unit were regularly sought out for their knowledge and skill. This led to increased sales opportunities and delivery of higher-quality services to clients. In fact, her unit won several engagements that generated more than $1 million in revenue as well as some small but high-impact engagements with great potential to generate follow-on work.

Greater connectivity. Another ONA conducted a year after the first one revealed that 74 percent of Downing's unit was now connected, a major improvement over the first analysis.

For any leader transitioning into a new role, it's vital to quickly assess the organization's strengths and challenges and to design change initiatives supporting strategic goals. As Anne Downing's story reveals, analyzing and fine-tuning advice, information, and other organizational networks can position new leaders to take swift, effective action during their first weeks and months on the job.