A number of local governments have tested the networked talent organizational model, which posits that high performance comes from interdependent groups of people across the organization working collaboratively in the areas and tasks for which they are best suited. The model eliminates heavy direction or oversight from managers or supervisors and turns the hierarchical and authoritarian model upside down.

Ruth Walkup, Ph.D., Commonwealth Centers for High Performing Organizations, said that Arlington County, Virignia; Broward County, Florida; and Dayton, Ohio, have implemented the networked model and their organizational cultures, as well as their efficiency and effectiveness, have shifted dramatically. In a recent Cener for Management Strategies blog post, Walkup highlighted some ideas for "easing" into a networked talent model:

• Look for networks that already exist. These networks may be formal, but more likely they are informal in a traditional organizational structure. But they DO exist. Who are the people who reach out across functional lines for ideas, support, input? How are these people connecting across various boundaries? Talk to them to figure out why and how they network in a non-network environment.
• Create a network of like-minded people. The people you found in the step above are terrific allies in the ‘project of networking.’ Get together. Strengthen your connections. Set out common goals to promote a networked model. Brainstorm about how you can move closer to your goals. Then act strategically together.
• Put on another hat. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes or in someone else’s hat of responsibility and perspective. What is that person responsible for? What is he/she most concerned about?
• Make networking easy. Start by keeping networking low-risk for those who want to do it. Keep ‘ownership’ away from one department or another. Meet in neutral spaces like coffee shops, not a conference room. Create a shared identity of ‘networker’ with strong symbols to pull the group together. 
• Encourage cross-fertilization. Learn about other sectors. Shadow someone in a different department. Push others to attend a presentation or course in an area far from their own. And look for ways to bring back what has been learned to your original set of tasks.