The great mismatch that hurts companies.

• Author: Libert, Barry
• Position: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - Brief article

From The Network Imperative by Barry Libert, Megan Beck and Jerry Wind. Copyright [C]2016 by OpenMatters LLC. Published by Harvard Business Review Press (www.hbr.org).

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There is a great mismatch between those who manage, govern, and advise businesses and the employees, customers, and networks of those organizations, and this mismatch hurts companies.

We would never assert that there should be perfect alignment between the governors and the market. Directors, executives, and advisers do need a great deal of business experience and acumen-- much more than the average customer or employee might attain. On the other hand, the most successful companies are the ones that look outward, understand their networks, and create mutually...