Summary:

This case study describes how a professional network evolved and computer technology facilitated its development into a worldwide organization with a critical mass of people in both industrialized and developing nations. The case study was authored by the associate director of the external research program of Entovation International.

Entovation International’s business agenda was organizational learning, not technology development. The skills required for success were based on relationships, partnering, and strategic conversations. The “virtual Research and Development” is its global network of expertise. Over time, it developed a variety of management tools and techniques to structure and to arrange the dialogue among stakeholders, both internal and external to the firm. These stakeholders organized into a functional organization, which includes five interdependent components: strategy, operations, communications, information systems and knowledge exchange.

A systems organization schema, called the Holon, was developed to propose that everything is naturally both a whole and a part of something at the same time. The author applied the concept of nesting of networks to the creation, evolution, and growth of the network of knowledge professionals known as Entovation International. With advanced communication system technology, it has converted isolated individuals into a highly leveraged network of experts whose conversations are linked for accelerated learning and business leverage.

The structure of Entovation network can be described as a holonomy. It has five levels, providing different modes of interaction. Business partners are at the core and share the Entovation vision. Fellows are the world-class experts in the software for planning and strategy formulation. A global liaison represents Entovation in a particular country or region of the world, and an associate is formally registered in his or her area of strategic competence. The last category, colleagues, are those people who are interested in the knowledge movement in general.

Network growth has occurred in five phases:

1. defining distinctive competencies (1993-1994)
2. structuring the network (1995-1997)
3. sharing the wealth (1998)
4. transforming into an innovation system (1999)
5. leveraging collective competence (2000 and beyond)

As the network has evolved, the role of virtual CKO has changed as well. The role of the virtual CKO at each phase is described below:

Defining Distinctive Competencies – The role was one of research and crystallizing the various facets of the evolving knowledge profession.

Structuring the Network – The CKO’s role was to identify expertise from around the world, both those researching progressive methods and those practicing knowledge techniques with significant bottom-line results.

Sharing the Wealth – The author also served as the community conscience to maintain the code of values, ethics, and standards to emulate, including determining that several organizations were evaluating best practices. This role was one of researching and establishing standards of excellence.

Tranforming Into an Innovation System – The CKO maintains the expansion process into countries not yet represented on the organization’s map. There is significant interest from developing nations in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.

Leveraging Collective Competence – The CKO will continue to serve as the research generator through the multicompany-sponsored initiative to establish the Global Knowledge Innovation Infrastructure (GKII) to be launched with the Banff roundtable. After functioning as a successful global network for over five years, Entovation is ready to convert to a more formal organization structure with a bonafide international headquarters in the United States and with regional hubs in Latin America, Europe, Asia, North America, and elsewhere. The products and services, now in many languages, can be shared on a worldwide basis.

Lessons Learned

What went right?

• People were ready for a positive, constructive change beyond downsizing.
• There was an increasing receptivity to advancements of and experimentation with technology.
• The quality of the intellectual capital, especially the collective wisdom was unsurpassed because many people are entering the field.
• There ensued an inevitable realization in the value of knowledge innovation – innovation being the business.
• By focusing on a target group of enthusiasts and early adapters, ENTOVATION created an impact.

• Operating as a virtual CKO – without a staff per se – makes it difficult to implement what needs to be done.
• The volume of activity on the Web and the email was unexpected in terms of the activity on its own site and the increase in sites that provided the competition.
• Building credibility as a virtual network is difficult in contrast to the established major consulting firms.
• Managers are still seeking the quick fix and best practices, rather than understanding the fundamental changes required and the need to establish standards.
• Reciprocity does not come easy because of a basic competitive work ethic.

To conclude, Entovation Network is one example of how a community of experts can respect one another’s competencies, learn from a diverse set of perspectives, and contribute to a common language and a shared vision.
 

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