FAQ
Answers to common questions about organizational network analysis, the Net Collaboration Score, and how Cophi works
Organisational Network Analysis (ONA) is a way to look at how people and teams connect and work together in a company. It shows the real networks of communication and collaboration, not just what's on the org chart.
The Net Collaboration Score (NCS) works like the Net Promoter Score. Every connection between people is rated Excellent, Satisfactory, or Underdeveloped, and the score is the percentage rated Excellent minus the percentage rated Underdeveloped, giving a result between -100 and +100. Scores above +30 are excellent, around 0 is average, and below 0 signals areas needing attention.
Passive ONA draws on digital exhaust from tools like email or Slack. It shows who's connected but not whether the connection is effective, and raises privacy concerns. Cophi uses active ONA instead: a short, direct survey similar in format to an engagement survey, producing trusted, transparent data that includes both quantitative scores and qualitative insight.
What are the seven network types Cophi measures?
Cophi organizes collaboration into three dimensions: Operational (Project Management, Information Sharing, Problem Solving), Social (Feedback, Psychological Safety), and Strategic (Clarity, Innovation), identified through factor analysis and grounded in research including Ibarra and Hunter's work on organizational networks.
Transformation programmes, business process optimisation, leadership development, and M&A integration.
What are "key influencers" or "critical connectors," and how does Cophi find them?
Key influencers (also called critical connectors, super-connectors, network brokers, or bridge builders) are the people who are unusually central to how work actually gets done, not necessarily senior or visible on the org chart, but who others rely on for information, problem-solving, or informal leadership. Cophi's Critical Connectors report uses ONA survey data to rank individuals across multiple network dimensions, producing a ranked list of names (shared only with consent), so leaders know who to involve first when driving change.
How is Cophi different from an engagement survey or a passive ONA tool?
An engagement survey measures how people feel; Cophi measures how they actually work together. Using organisational network analysis, it maps the real connections between teams and people and turns them into a Net Collaboration Score plus a visual map of the network. It also differs from passive ONA tools that infer relationships from email or messaging metadata: Cophi asks people directly through a short, consent-based survey, which produces more trusted and transparent data and captures the reasons behind the numbers, not just who contacted whom.
How does Cophi keep our data private and GDPR-compliant?
Cophi collects data through a direct, consent-based survey rather than monitoring emails or messaging metadata, and handles personal data in line with GDPR and data protection law (a Data Processing Agreement is available). Individual answers are never shown to managers or the organisation: results are reported in aggregate at team level, written comments are pooled with no name attached, and any individual-level insight is shared more widely only with explicit consent.
Who is Cophi for, and what size of organisation does it suit?
Cophi is built for organisations where collaboration across teams affects performance, particularly those going through transformation, operational improvement, leadership change, or M&A integration. It is most valuable when teams depend on one another and leaders need to see how work really flows, rather than relying on the org chart.
What do you actually get from Cophi?
Your Net Collaboration Score at organisation and team level, a visual map of how teams collaborate, a breakdown of your strongest and weakest team-to-team relationships, themes drawn from written feedback, and, where relevant, individual Impact Reports showing where each person sits in the network. A systems coach helps you interpret the results and turn them into action.
How does a Cophi engagement work, and how is it priced?
A typical engagement runs in a few stages: a systems coach helps scope the challenge and choose which teams to include; your people data is set up; everyone completes the short survey (a pulse); results appear in an interactive dashboard with summary reports; and the coach works with your leaders and teams to turn the findings into action. Many organisations then run repeat pulses to track progress over time. Pricing is tailored to the size and scope of the engagement rather than a fixed list price, and is shared during a discovery call.
How does Cophi's systems coaching work?
Every engagement includes a systems coach who coaches the organisational system rather than any single individual. They are involved from the start to help clarify the challenge, interpret the network results with leaders and teams, and turn the insight into practical change and ongoing improvement.
How is the Net Collaboration Score different from eNPS or an engagement score?
An eNPS or engagement score measures how individuals feel, for example how likely they are to recommend their employer. The Net Collaboration Score measures something different: the quality of collaboration between people and teams. It uses the same simple positive-minus-negative logic as the Net Promoter Score, but applied to how work flows across the organisation rather than to personal sentiment.
How do I get started with Cophi?
Book a discovery call via cophi.io/contact.