Expert network

Expert networks refer to a type of business that connects companies with expert resources or subject-matter experts, such as academics, C-levels, founders, and high-level officials to provide valuable information, data, or assistance.

Expert networks refer to a type of business that connects companies with expert resources or subject-matter experts, such as academics, C-levels, founders, and high-level officials to provide valuable information, data, or assistance.

Background

The phrase "expert network" was originally coined by Mark O'Connor of Yankee Group in presentations introducing his August 1997 Management Strategies report, "Knowledge Management: People and the Process". The first known published appearance of the phrase in this context is in the April 1999¹ Yankee Group white paper "A Knowledge Perspective: The Enterprise Knowledge Management Product and Service Domain." In the December 1999 publication, "Knowledge Evolution: Tools of the Trade", clients were advised to utilize Expert Networks to "Understand who the experts are throughout the organization (including the extended organization), and more appropriately employ that expertise within a broader range of business contexts for better decision making." The first expert networks used internal databases and phone books, just like standard recruitment firms. With the growth of LinkedIn and other online sources, expert networks have become increasingly reliant on custom-sourcing experts online. Since the early 2000s, a rather large industry has sprung up facilitating "expert" connections, or providing connections to industry or subject matter experts with whom a single individual or organization has no pre-existing relationship with. GLG, one of the oldest and largest expert networks and was founded in 1998¹.

Commercial expert networks

A primary example of expert networks are commercial networks that are in the business of primary research. These firms connect investors, consultants, and business decision-makers with industry experts. Consultations between expert network clients and experts may be in the form of "face-to-face meetings, phone calls, teleconferences, video conferences, [or] email exchanges." Prominent commercial expert networks include GLG, Guidepoint, AlphaSights, and Dialectica (company). According to a 2009 report by Integrity Research, there are at least 38 investor expert network providers worldwide. Although most expert networks operate across verticals and geographies, recent trends point towards specialized expert networks serving a particular geography or vertical. In recent years, as sell-side research has become increasingly "scarce and less influential," institutional investors have turned to expert networks to gain "new insights and a competitive edge" within a compliant framework. According to a 2011 report published by TABB Group, 81% of investment professionals believe that "talking to experts" is a legitimate, value-adding part of the investment due diligence process. Investor expert networks became more widely used after the implementation of Regulation Fair Disclosure in 2000, which made it harder for institutional investors to get market moving information directly from publicly traded companies. Hedge funds were early adopters, but the use of expert networks quickly spread to all types of institutional investors, including mutual funds, pension funds, banks, and private equity firms. The investment community continues to be the largest consumer of expert network services. In 2020, expert network companies generated an estimated $1.5 billion in revenues, according to a report by Integrity Research.

Further reading

"Linking expert mouths with eager ears", The Economist, June 16, 2011. "Hedge Funds Keep Watch on Washington" by David Bogoslaw, BusinessWeek, September 22, 2009 "Hedge Funds Look to Policy Experts to Decode Washington" New York Times DealBook, September 23, 2009 "Information Have and Have Nots" by L. Gordon Crovitz, The Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2008 "Network of 200,000 experts provides IP evaluations" by Steve Lewis, Intellectual Property Marketing Advisor, November 4, 2008 "Credit Suisse analysts gain access to expert network" by Anette Jonsson, Finance Asia, September 16, 2008 "Want Our Stock Researchers? Pay Up!" by Aaron Lucchetti, The Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2008 "Integrity Publishes Comprehensive Report on Expert Networks" Integrity Research Associates, March 2, 2008

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1375418825 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.