If you are creating a GPS system for your nonprofit, one aspect to consider is an organizational neural network…
Our organizations need to scan vast amounts of information to understand our present operating landscape and predict where the opportunities might lie in the future. We need to turn information into usable data that guides our efforts and decision-making.
But how do we accomplish this when the landscape is so vast and complex?
We create an organizational neural network. Neural networks are a phenomenon of the human brain.
Our sensory system perceives information, our strategic networks determine how to use the information we perceive and express what we know, and our affective system ascribes meaning to the information from an emotional perspective.
What is remarkable about the human brain is that all of these functions get integrated in order for us to act in the world. Now we have harnessed the capabilities of AI and machine learning to create neural networks that help us to recognize patterns and solve common problems using deep learning.
We can also create powerful organizational neural networks by harnessing the talent in our organization and increasing connectivity. Rather than thinking about vertical hierarchies and roles, we think about people in our organization as nodes in our network. Each person is gathering information about the internal and external environment.
They are involved in numerous communities, participate in professional convenings, interact with other organizations, and interact with our beneficiaries on a regular basis.
If we have a system that connects and shares all of the information coming from each of our nodes, we create a highly intelligent network that is far more sensitive to changes and opportunities in the landscape. Technology systems can facilitate the network, but humans are the real source of intelligence.
Now you: Have you ever created or been part of a human network that increased your smarts?
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