In this first in a series of cases on organizational network analysis (ONA), Vic Gulas, the new head of IT at the engineering consulting firm MWH Consulting, is charged with turning a geographically organized department into one organized by function. He knows that the success of the reorganization will depend on effective collaboration, but he cannot get a sense of what collaborative relationships do and do not exist by looking at a formal organizational chart. Instead, Gulas uses ONA, a method for mapping relationships among people in a group. In the ONA results, Gulas sees a group still fragmented by geography and constrained by hierarchy and other gaps in connectivity. After studying the highly detailed assessment of working relationships within the IT department, Gulas must decide in the A case what steps he can take to align the department's network with its business objectives.

In this first in a series of cases on organizational network analysis (ONA), Vic Gulas, the new head of IT at the engineering consulting firm MWH Consulting, is charged with turning a geographically organized department into one organized by function. He knows that the success of the reorganization will depend on effective collaboration, but he cannot get a sense of what collaborative relationships do and do not exist by looking at a formal organizational chart. Instead, Gulas uses ONA, a method for mapping relationships among people in a group. In the ONA results, Gulas sees a group still fragmented by geography and constrained by hierarchy and other gaps in connectivity. The B case presents the network-building steps Gulas took on the basis of the ONA results and the results of a follow-up ONA Gulas conducted two years after the initial analysis. This second ONA revealed a network that was stronger and more appropriately connected in various ways.

In this fictional case study, Henry Carson had thought it was time for his company, Pacer Athletic Shoes, to upgrade its standard offerings for the serious runner and expand into walking shoes. But after investing considerable resources in the effort, he's having second thoughts: the returns so far aren't good; old customers seem confused or, worse, annoyed; Pacer doesn't seem to be attracting new customers, despite a flashy marketing campaign; and the company has had trouble getting its manufacturing up to speed. Industry statistics, along with a customer profile, seemed to indicate that Pacer was vulnerable to attacks from much larger competitors. As far as Henry could determine, the company had been left with no choice. It had to upgrade its offerings and build a following in the broader market so that if the industry giants did attack his niche, Pacer could survive. Henry thought he had taken steps to give Pacer staying power. Now he wonders what went wrong. Five experts offer their views on Pacer's current options.