公司最容易忽视的人脉富矿

    在超级激烈的竞争环境下，当宝洁公司（Proctor & Gamble）需要一个新领导来带领公司重新实现增长时，宝洁找到了一个非常熟悉公司的人担当这一重任，而这个人正是宝洁公司的一名老员工。

    雷福礼前几年才刚刚离开宝洁，但他回来执掌公司可以说有着得天独厚的优势。他一上手就知道应该做什么，而且与公司也有深厚的感情联系，这都是他的隐性财富。

    许多公司都忽略了一个与他们关系最近、也是最有价值的关系网络，那就是一张由前任员工、退休员工、甚至包括以前曾和公司打过交道的合伙人和客户等组成的关系网。这些“老人”既了解行业的动向，又熟悉公司的能力和文化，同时又能带来公司现有员工还不具备的外部知识和关系。

    但是能把这张关系网利用好的公司并不多。说起这样的关系网，我们最先想到的就是大学的校友会。但是即使对于大多数大学来说，他们无非也是到了要筹资的时候，或者是到了开招聘会、交流会、就业指导的时候才会想起校友会。一些业内领先的咨询公司也会维护自己的“老人”网络，但是很少有公司真的利用它给公司或给老员工们带来了实际的好处。

    相反，把校友会、联谊会搞得最有声有色的却是来自一些非学术性的研究项目，比如重点关注公共服务的科罗公共事务研究项目（Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs）、关注公共教育的Broad Residency项目，以及致力培养未来科学家的奇点大学（Singularity University）等。这些项目都包含一个正式的培训课程，而且经常让参与者担任一份临时的工作，同时这些组织也在努力打造一个专门的领域，开发自己的关系网络，以扩大他们的影响力。这些目标阐释了一个组织良好的校友会项目成功背后的原因。

    无论是“校友会”也好，企业的“联谊会”也罢，对于参与者和组织机构来说，它必须要提供价值，才有存在的意义。继续教育、技能发展、就业介绍、招聘支持、指导或反向指导等等，这些都可以是校友会和联谊会提供的价值。科罗公共事务研究项目是一个旨在培训公共事务和非营利工作领域的管理者的项目。它为往期的参与者们提供了一个“校友工具箱”，帮助他们更新自己的技能，或是从其他校友身上学到新的技能。而Broad Residency项目则通过一些校友来提供咨询服务，为现在的参与者提出办法和建议，帮助他们解决工作上的困难和职业规划上的难题。

    在美国的几座大城市，当地的科罗领导力网络每个季度都会举办演讲活动，而Broad Residency项目则与一个年度论坛建立了关系。校友们每年都会参与这个论坛，讨论涉及教育的话题。

    如果一个联谊会项目能鼓励过去和现在的员工跨越不同组织机构间的“国界”通力合作，它就更有可能取得成功。如果让老员工们了解到组织面临的最大的风险和担忧，则 可能会促进老员工们自行组织起来，成立工作组、甚至公司来解决问题。

    奇点大学的校友组织实行由校友自我管理的模式，而这些校友组织联系着全球各地的校友（其中约有85%在美国以外的其他国家）。他们在奇点大学的课程只是一个10周的夏季深造项目，但他们从奇点大学毕业后，这些校友组织还会继续联络举办各种校友活动。

    对于企业来说，要想让联谊会能产生持久的影响，让它为企业带来资源、技术和生意的话，也需要花时间来经营。首先，企业可以邀请从企业走出去的老员工来管理联谊会活动的一些重要环节，比如主持研讨会或活动策划等。科罗全国校友联合会就有一个30人的理事会，奇点大学在40个国家都有指定的“校友大使”，负责组织本地的活动和聚会。Broad Residency 项目的校友们每年都会对该项目收上来的几千份简历进行审核，而且还会参与到项目的招募环节（约有一半被录取的项目参与者都是由校友提名的）。此外他们还会帮助这个项目的学校管理人员和负责人等安排会议，甚至在这个两年制的教育项目中教授一些正式的课程。

    对于很多组织来说，不管校友会、联谊会的规模和任务是大是小，它们可以说都是这个组织最好、最近的资源网络。它不仅能为所有参与者提供各种机会，而且还可以令企业更快地学到、培养出新的能力，这正是企业最需要的那种学习模式。但是要鼓励人们参与这么一个团体，也需要组织付出悉心的努力。（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎

    When Proctor & Gamble (PG) needed a leader to guide the company back to growth in a hyper-competitive environment, it turned to someone who knew the company intimately -- an alumnus.

    Having left the company just a few years before, A.G. Lafley was, like many alumni, uniquely suited to help his former firm. He came into the job with a wealth of tacit knowledge -- the "know how" rooted in experience -- and a deep connection to the organization.

    Many companies overlook one of the most closely connected and valuable networks available to them: ex-employees, retirees, and even former partners and clients who already have experience with the organization. These alumni know the capabilities and the culture of the organization and the industry while also bringing outside expertise and connections that current employees might not have.

    Few companies do this well. Instead, we tend to think of alumni networks in the context of universities. Even among universities, few engage alumni beyond fundraising and, to a lesser extent, recruiting, networking, and career services. Likewise, top consultancies maintain alumni networks, but few do it in a way that delivers real benefits to participants and the firm.

    Some of the best models for alumni engagement come from the non-academic, post-graduate programs focused on public service (Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs), public education (Broad Residency), and technology (Singularity University). These programs include a formal training component and often place participants in temporary job assignments. However, the organizations also focus on shaping a sector and developing a network to amplify their influence. These goals provide a rationale for a structured alumni program.

    An alumni program has to create value, such as continuing education or skills development, job placement and recruiting support, mentoring and reverse mentoring -- for the participants as well as the organization. The Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, which is designed to train leaders in civic and nonprofit work, offers an Alumni Toolbox to help past participants refresh their skills and gain new ones and learn new techniques from other alumni. The Broad Residency uses alumni advisors to guide current fellows both in their on-the-job challenges and in career planning.

    In several major cities, the local Coro Leadership Network hosts quarterly speaker events. The Broad Residency builds on the relationships formed over the two-year fellowship with an annual Forum where alumni come together to participate in discussions on education.

    An alumni program that encourages both past and current employees to work together across organizational boundaries is more likely to succeed. Exposing alumni to the biggest challenges and concerns the organization faces can encourage participants to self-organize -- into working groups or even business ventures.

    The self-directed Singularity University alumni groups keep the school's globally dispersed alumni (approximately 85% from outside the U.S.) engaged and moving forward on their specific initiatives after the 10-week summer program ends.

    For companies, the alumni program that will have the most enduring impact -- a network that the company can turn to for resources, expertise, and partnership -- also requires time to develop. As a first step, companies can invite alumni to manage significant parts of the alumni activities, from moderating discussion boards to planning events. The Coro National Alumni Association has a 30-member board to guide its efforts. Singularity University has appointed alumni "ambassadors" in 40 countries who organize local activities and meet-ups. Alumni of the Broad Residency review the thousands of resumes submitted to the program each year and participate in recruiting (approximately half of accepted residents come from alumni nominations). Broad alumni also help plan meetings for school administrators and superintendents from the program and teach formal sessions at the two-year education program.

    For many organizations, regardless of size or mission, alumni represent the best, closest network of resources. Through a diverse network that creates opportunities for all participants, a company can learn and develop new abilities faster, exactly the type of learning organizations need. But encouraging individuals to participate in such a community requires a deliberate effort.