Rob Cross

Rob Cross is an associate professor in the management department of the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce. He is also the Founder and a Research Director of The Network Roundtable, a consortium of 75 organizations sponsoring research on network applications to critical management issues. His work focuses on how relationships and informal networks in organizations can be analyzed and improved to promote competitive advantage, innovation, customer retention and profitability, leadership effectiveness, talent management and quality of work life.

Rob graduated twice; firstly from the McIntire School of Commerce in 1989 and then the Darden School in 1994. For over 10 years, his research, teaching and consulting has focused on applying social network analysis ideas to critical business issues for actionable insights and bottom-line results. He has extensive experience in working directly with more than 200 strategically important networks across more than 120 well-known organizations in consulting, pharmaceuticals, software, electronics and computer manufacturers, consumer products, financial services, petroleum, heavy equipment manufacturing, chemicals, and government on a variety of solutions including innovation, revenue growth, cost containment and talent management.

Ideas emerging from his research have resulted in two books:

• The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organization
• Driving Results through Social Networks: How Top Organizations Leverage Networks for Performance and Growth (2009)

• He has also authored four book chapters and 23 articles, several of which have won awards.
• His work has been published many times in Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, California Management Review, Academy of Management Executives and Organizational Dynamics. His most recent book, The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organization (Harvard Business School Press), has been featured in venues such as Business Week, Fortune, The Financial Times, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CIO, Inc and Fast Company.

Contact Information:
E-mail: robcross@virginia.edu
Phone: 434-924-6475