Little by little, informal networks are becoming mainstream. Ubiquitous Internet access is also making networking more important every day. Beyond our ever increasing fascination for informal networks, one may still rightfully wonder whether networking is something new or a fad or even something which always existed and is key to human beings living in congregations

What's more, according to him, working across the organisation can generate much stress and anxiety. The main difficulty is to provide compensation for a job which is not entirely official or at least done behind the scenes. Thus, expecting a reward for a job which requires that corporate rules be circumvented is somewhat of an oxymoron too. Beyond anxiety, the lack of recognition may trigger a strong sense of injustice among employees and may also prove hugely discouraging for them in the medium to long term.

IV- of networks and men

Of all times, formal and informal networks have existed; whether they be aiming at the interest of a small group of people or the general interest. Informal networks are not the product of our post-modern society. In fact, it's mostly in the nature of humans to get together and help each other and complement each other until they form a chain of solidarity, when the powers that be do not make it possible for a group of individuals to reach their objectives. Most probably, informal networks have, in one way or another, always existed. It's up to each of us who wants to use this powerful tool to do so ethically and with respect for others. This is indeed a powerful tool because it ignores hierarchical obstacles, when hierarchies are there for people who are more interested in politics than the general interest. Informal networks enable people to achieve great results, despite organisation silos, mainly when processes are failing or are poorly implemented.

Informal networks are also a very interesting form of counter-power because they are change enablers, based on the skills and the mutual respect of their members. However, sometimes informal networks can also oppose changes when the implementation is poor and leading to a deadlock. Informal networks cannot be avoided. As old as civilisation itself, they are born from the trust that people give each other, whatever their aim; be it good or bad. I don't think therefore that there is anything new in them.

What is new though is how quickly you may be able to build your informal network online nowadays, thanks to all those Internet tools that are available to you. But they are nothing but tools; anybody does not want to talk to anybody else. What is striking though is how individuals are prone to develop their own personal strategies outside their social and professional hierarchies; such strategies help them escape an order on which they seem to have no control. Social rigidity - to a certain extent - is a thing of the past. The sort of immutable certainly and comfort that it generated is over too. People have - however unprepared they may be - to get used to living and making the most of their uncertain futures. Their own special way of reducing risk is to rely on themselves and try and form pockets of resistance or conquest through informal networks, which they master.

This individuation [41] is very different from individualisation; it can be found in informal networks and informal networks do reinforce that individuation in return.