Why Companies Should Leverage Organizational Network Analysis (ONA)
Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) is not easy, but when used correctly it can reveal the invisible structures that truly drive how your company works — and unlock levers for change that a traditional org chart simply cannot show.
What is ONA?
Organizational Network Analysis is the practice of mapping the informal relationships and communication patterns between people in an organization. Unlike a traditional org chart — which shows reporting lines — ONA shows who actually talks to whom, who shares information, who people go to for advice, and who bridges different parts of the organization.
By surveying employees about their working relationships ("Who do you turn to for expertise?" "Who energizes your work?" "Who do you collaborate with most?"), ONA creates a data-driven map of your informal network.
Why the informal network matters
Most leaders understand that the formal org chart is only part of the story. But few have a systematic way to see the rest. ONA makes the invisible visible:
- Connectors and brokers: A small number of people in any organization carry disproportionate amounts of information across teams. Losing one of them — through resignation, burnout, or reorganization — can sever communication pathways in ways that don't show up in any reporting structure.
- Isolated nodes: Some employees are structurally disconnected from the flow of information. They may be high performers on paper who are blocked from impact by their position in the network.
- Overloaded hubs: In many organizations, a handful of people are so central to the network that they become bottlenecks. They slow decisions, accumulate risk, and burn out — often without anyone realizing the structural cause.
- Hidden influencers: The people others trust and go to for advice rarely match the org chart. ONA identifies the real centers of gravity for culture, decisions, and change adoption.
ONA in private equity and high-growth companies
For PE-backed companies undergoing transformation, ONA is particularly powerful. Value creation plans depend on cross-functional coordination — and ONA is one of the only tools that can diagnose coordination failures before they show up in the P&L.
Common use cases include:
- Post-merger integration: ONA reveals whether the two legacy organizations are actually communicating, or whether the "merged" company is still operating as two separate silos.
- Identifying change agents: When launching a new initiative, ONA identifies who will carry it through the network — the people others look to for signals about whether to adopt.
- Retention risk: Highly central employees who leave take their connections with them. ONA flags retention risk before it becomes a structural problem.
- Leadership development: ONA identifies high-potential leaders who are already operating as informal connectors — and who may be ready for formal roles.
From map to action
An ONA map is only as valuable as the decisions it drives. The best implementations tie network findings directly to strategy: which silos are blocking the most important value drivers, which connectors need protection, which overloaded hubs need to be redistributed.
Used on a recurring cadence alongside a broader organizational health diagnostic, ONA becomes a continuous capability — not a one-time snapshot.