By now, we all know the value of personal networks: who you know in life will get you a job, help you win business and make you a more intelligent human being (assuming, of course, you aren’t networking with career criminals).

But there is another benefit to having a great network: it increases your productivity, particularly when it comes to in-person networks.

A recent MIT study found that in one organization the employees with the most extensive personal digital networks were 7% more productive then their colleagues—so wikis and Web 2.0 tools may indeed improve productivity.

In the same organization, however, the employees with the most cohesive face-to-face networks were 30% more productive. Electronic tools may well be suited to information discovery, but face-to-face communication, an oft-neglected part of the management process, best supports information integration.

Let me repeat: Employees with the most cohesive face-to-face networks were 30% more productive.

So, if you want to increase your productivity (which leads to better jobs, better pay, and a better life), start networking!