INFORMAL NETWORKS

This research critiques the article identified below this paragraph. The critique considers the relevance of the article to the changing role of managerial communication, the author's qualifications, the strengths and weaknesses of the article, and the reviewer's agreement or disagreement with the key points stated in the article.

Krackhardt, David, & Hanson, Jeffrey R. (1993, JulyAugust). Informal networks: The company behind the chart. Harvard Business Review, 71(4), 104111.

The relevance of this article to the changing role of managerial communication is illustrated by the authors' development and explanation of the network structuresboth formal and informalfound in organizations, together with the key role fulfilled by informal networks in both the dissemination of information and the pursuit of organizational objectives (Krackhardt and Hanson, 1993, pp. 104111). This conception of how organizations and organizational communications work is supported by the literature relevant to managerial communication.

Scott (1987, pp. 2728) perceives organizations within the context of systems. The "broadest possible definition of a system is that it is 'anything' that is not chaos" (Boulding, 1985, p. 9). Conversely, a system could be defined as "any structure that exhibits order and pattern" (Boulding, 1985, p. 9). The common definition of a system is that a system is "

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of the Krackhardt and Hanson (1993, pp. 104111) concept. Both David Krackhardt and Jeffrey Hanson are qualified to write on this topic. Krackhardt is an associate professor of organizations and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, while Hanson is an experienced management consultant. The major strength of the critiqued article lies in the clear description of the concepts and problems involved, while the weakness of the article is the author's reliance on a single organization for purposes of illustration. Primary Reference Krackhardt, David, & Hanson, Jeffrey R. (1993, JulyAugust). Informal networks: The company behind the chart. Harvard Business Review, 71(4), 104111. Supporting References Ackoff, R. L. (1991). Systems, organizations, and interdisciplinary research. In Emery, F. E. (Ed.). Systems thinking. (3rd ed.). Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, Ltd., pp. 330348. Angyal, A. (1991). Precedents to systems theory. In Emery, F. E. (Ed.). Systems thinking. (3rd ed.). Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, Ltd., pp. 1729. Boulding, Kenneth E. (1985). The world as a system. Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications. Galagan, Patricia A. (1992). Managing the white space. Training & Development
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Approximate Word count = 1738
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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