EDITOR ’ S NOTE
Knowing how to embrace and manipulate networks for the benefit of your company could soon mark the difference between success and stagnation — even failure . prized open the bars of the corporate cage and stamped its footprint on almost every aspect of personal and professional life : networked financial systems , networked friendships — even networked DNA .
12 | EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS
EDITOR ’ S NOTE
NETWORK 2.0
There was once a time when the word “ network ” conjured images of grey suits swapping business cards over lunch ; when the only platform was the stage set for a keynote speech ; and when an individual ’ s contacts numbered only as many as the pages of a safely guarded notebook would allow .
Those days are gone . Don ’ t get me wrong , the old adage , “ it ’ s who you know , not what you know ,” still echoes around the walls of networking events the world-over as executives charged with ambition and agenda rub shoulders , but the nature of the beast has changed . The network is a new animal that has
Knowing how to embrace and manipulate networks for the benefit of your company could soon mark the difference between success and stagnation — even failure . prized open the bars of the corporate cage and stamped its footprint on almost every aspect of personal and professional life : networked financial systems , networked friendships — even networked DNA .
The digital age has redefined the network as we know it , making the webs we weave bigger , faster and more powerful . The only diminutive is how small technological advancement has rendered our planet . At the touch of a button , a Tweet can reach millions of people worldwide — a Facebook post even more ( Mark Zuckerberg ’ s social media site now has two billion users ).
This all points to an incredible if unnerving reality : some networks now carry more clout than entire nations . But you also have those who , for better or worse , combine the two , wielding power on both the political and social media stage . Just look at Donald Trump . Whatever your political leanings , it ’ s hard to deny that he has turned the power of social media to political advantage , bypassing official channels and delivering his message directly to the people .
And this point is key , not just to politics but to the business world . Knowing how to embrace and manipulate networks for the benefit of your company could soon mark the difference between success and stagnation — even failure . Whether it ’ s communicating through social media , saving and sharing in the Cloud , transacting via block chain or collaborating through platforms strategies , harnessing the power of the network is no longer a desirable add-on , it ’ s a prerequisite for corporate growth . To thrive , we must learn how to master the networked world , or risk being mastered by it . Or , Joshua Cooper Ramo puts it , be one of the “ gatekeepers ”, not one of the “ gatekept .”
Dr . Tommy Weir , Editor-in-Chief
EMERGING MARKETS BUSINESS SUMMER 2017 ISSUE NO . 3