Leading Outside—and Inside—the Lines

In your company, who gets things done faster—the person who plays strictly by the rules, or the one who knows not only how to play by the rules but how to play the chain of command as well?

Informal networks in a company can help in solving urgent business problems, but they need to be balanced with formal structures and rules. Drawing on the work of Jon R. Katzenbach and Zia Khan in Leading Outside the Lines: How to Mobilize the (in)Formal Organization, Energize Your Team, and Get Better Results, this provocative essay should remind you of some ways that your company does business...and may suggest ways to get things done more effectively.