Social Networks, Battlefields, and Entrepreneurs
Social networks are everywhere and their value, though disputable, is undeniable. It is clear that individuals that are able to leverage both their strong and weak ties can quickly maneuver through any number of unique challenges, far more deftly that someone lacking the requisite "social tools". In this case, we're getting more evidence from the United States Armed Forces.
Commanders have the ability to make exceptions for soldiers with special circumstances; otherwise, soldiers won't be able to leave the service or transfer from their unit until they return to their home base after the deployment.
The move will allow the Army to keep units together as they deploy, Hagenbeck said. Units with new recruits or recently transferred soldiers would not perform as well because the troops would not have had time to work together.
"The rationale is to have cohesive, trained units going to war together," Hagenbeck said.
In an unrelated report, Knowledge@Wharton has published a paper titled "Why Global Business Needs Kinder, Gentler Entrepreneurs and Leaders". As the abstract describes:
Images of entrepreneurs and leaders tend to focus on the vision and guts needed to get ventures off the ground or on the solitary hero leading the crowds. At the recent Lauder Institute Alumni Association Global Business Forum in New York, however, two panels on entrepreneurship and leadership debunked these notions. Speakers at the conference said entrepreneurs need social networking skills as much as business savvy to succeed. As for leaders who want to be effective in global business, they need to learn that arrogance is out, humility is in.
Surely, the landscape and peril are completely different, but the parallels are undeniable.