Network vs Team

Do you know the difference between building a network and building a team?  One is not better than the other.  It all depends on the task you want to take on.

The two are very different, even though they seem similar.  Networks wind up being more powerful than teams at the end of the day.  Networks can overwhelm things. Teams have a beginning and and end, and can be stopped.

But, building a network takes time.  It takes buy in from the nodes on the network. There has to be an over riding reason to stay with the network which keeps nodes activated.  Networks often run into the “chicken or the egg” problem.

One of the core characteristics of networks is they are opt in or opt out.  People opt in when it’s beneficial for them.  They are dormant when it’s not.  When they are active the more new nodes an existing node can activate, the better it is for everyone.  With teams, it’s all or nothing.  If you aren’t part of the team, you aren’t part of the team.  Teams are finite.  This is an important distinction.  Networks that are not tolerant of dormancy can become cults.

Cults can be good, but cults can be dangerous.  Cults often have group think.  They become rigid, and they break.

When you build a team, there is a clear leader and hierarchy.  The team recruits new members to fill in holes or gaps it has.  In a network, there is usually a set of leaders. There may be one visionary, but good visionaries surround themselves with people that can also lead.  Sometimes the people around the visionary seem more capable than the visionary.  In networked companies, the CEO doesn’t always make the most money.

Networks will have tentacles.  They bring in information and disseminate it. The edges of the network are empowered.  They can act. They have almost as much information as the central part of the network.  Or, they have enough information so they can take the necessary action the network needs them to take.  The more tentacles and points of contact the network has, the more information it can gather and operate on.  Each node on the network has power.

In teams, information spreads up and down the hierarchy.  The top of the hierarchy has the most information.  The edge points of the team often need permission to act. There is procedure.  Teams can have bottlenecks.

The skill set and mindset of building a team and building a network is different.  It’s important to know what you are building before you build it.