1 Network Effectiveness: An Interactive Working Session for Packard Foundation Grantees May 27, 2009 Heather Grant [email protected]Diana Scearce [email protected]Paris San Francisco São Paulo Seoul Singapore Tokyo Toronto Zurich Shanghai Palo Alto Johannesburg Beijing Chicago Hong Kong Cambridge Delhi Dubai Los Angeles Madrid Manila Mumbai Munich New York Moscow London This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
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Network Basics
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Networks Are Changing the Way the World Works
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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Obama Used Networks to Mobilize 13 M Supporters
“One of my fundamental beliefs…is that real change comes from the bottom up. And there’s no more powerful tool for grass-roots
organizing than the Internet.”– Barack Obama
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10K+ Activists Protested Elections in Moldova
“…six people, 10 minutes for brainstorming and decision-making, several hours of disseminating information through networks,
Facebook, blogs, SMSs and e-mail.”
–Natalia Morar, ThinkMoldova
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“While newspaper circulation has long been in decline, the latest figures show the drop is accelerating…Weekday circulation declined
7.1% for the six months that ended March 31, compared with the previous year.”– New York Times, April 27,2009
We’re Witnessing the Death of Old Models…
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…And New Models Are Emerging
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As a Result, the Way Our Work Gets Done Is Changing
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Many Nonprofits Need to Find Ways to Leverage Networks
Networks are one answer for increasing efficiency and impact
Networks are one answer for increasing efficiency and impact
Increasing Number of Nonprofits
More Competition for Resources
Many Nonprofits Not at Scale
(82% of nonprofits operate on annual budgets of under $1 million)
Source: “The Non-Profit Sector in Brief,” National Center for Charitable Statistics, 2008.
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What Do We Mean by Networks?
• Groups of individuals or organizations• Connected around a common purpose • Lots of participants• Ability to self-organize • Fueled by new technologies
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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Networks Have Been Around for a Long Time…
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…and new online spaces for building relationships
There Are New Technologies for Sharing Content…
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Advances in the Science of Networks and Complexity
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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Combined with Established Practices for Engaging Groups
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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“… wikis and other social media tools are
engendering a new, networked mindset—a way
of working wikily—that is characterized by
principles of openness, transparency,
decentralized decision-making, and
distributed action. " - Working Wikily 2.0
The Result = “Working Wikily”
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What Do We Mean by “Working Wikily”?
Centralized
Firmly controlled
Planned
Proprietary
One-way
communication
Decentralized
Loosely controlled
Emergent
Public
Two-way
conversation
Established Ways of Established Ways of WorkingWorking
Established Ways of Established Ways of WorkingWorking
Where are you on these continuums? The answer will be different for different situations
Working WikilyWorking WikilyWorking WikilyWorking Wikily
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Isolation
Unmet needs
Lack of power
Duplication and fragmentation of effort
Lack of shared knowledge
Untapped talent and wisdom
Suboptimal impact and challenges with growth
Working Wikily Can Address Diverse Challenges
Build community
Engage people
Advocate for policy change
Coordinate resources and services
Develop and share knowledge
Innovate
Get to scale
Working Wikily PotentialWorking Wikily PotentialWorking Wikily PotentialWorking Wikily PotentialProblemProblemProblemProblem
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Build Community
2008:22,000 Members
attending each week
2008:22,000 Members
attending each week
1980: 205 Members
1980: 205 Members
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Engage People
2008: 400,000 Volunteers in 104 Countries
2008: 400,000 Volunteers in 104 Countries
1985:Single-site Effort
in US
1985:Single-site Effort
in US
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Advocate for Policy Change
2008: 3.2 Million Members
2008: 3.2 Million Members
1998: Email to100 friends
1998: Email to100 friends
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Coordinate Resources and Services
Total Loans2009: $66 million
Total Loans2009: $66 million
Total Loans2006: $1 million
Total Loans2006: $1 million
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Develop and Share Knowledge
14 Countries1,300 Trained Volunteers
Interagency Program Integrated Fire Management
14 Countries1,300 Trained Volunteers
Interagency Program Integrated Fire Management
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Innovate
“Open Sourcing Social
Solutions”
“Open Sourcing Social
Solutions”
Internal, Proprietary R&D Labs
Internal, Proprietary R&D Labs
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…transforming
communities through
collaborations to address root causes of poverty and
homelessness
Source: Jane Wei-Skillern and Kerry Herman, “Habitat for Humanity—Egypt,” Harvard Business School Cases, October 3, 2006.
- EGYPT-
Get to Scale
Typical HFH country programs produce 200
houses each year
Typical HFH country programs produce 200
houses each year
In Egypt, HFH builds 1,000 houses a year, on
average
In Egypt, HFH builds 1,000 houses a year, on
average
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Common Challenges Faced by Network Leaders:
Communicating the value of networks
Designing and catalyzing networks
Determining network boundaries
Building trust among participants
Participant engagement and communications
Managing and adapting to evolution and growth
Tracking and evaluating impact
Letting go of control
Working Wikily Isn’t Easy…
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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Eight Lessons We’re Learning About “Working Wikily”
1. Design your experiments around a problem to solve, not the tools
2. Experiment a lot, invest in understanding what works and what doesn’t, and make only new mistakes
3. Set appropriate expectations for time and effort required
4. Prioritize human elements like trust and fun
5. Understand your position within networks and act on this knowledge
6. Push power to the edges
7. Balance bottom-up and top-down strategies for organizing people and effort
8. Be open and transparent; share what you are doing and learning as a matter of course
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Understanding Your Network
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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How Are Networks Structured?
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Core
Link Node
Cluster Periphery
Hub
A Few Helpful Definitions
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Network Structures Can Take Many Forms
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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Centralized
Decentralized
Note: These categories often overlap. Most of the examples fit in to multiple categories.
“Oppenheimer [the founder] was eager to help [other potential interactive museums] beg, borrow, and steal his ideas.”
Characteristics of Healthy Networks: Leadership
Source: Heather McLeod Grant and Leslie R. Crutchfield, “Forces for Good,” (2007).
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The Network Mindset
Organization Orientation Network Orientation
Mindset
Strategy
Behaviors
Competition
Grow the organization
Compete for resourcesProtect knowledge
Competitive advantageHoard talent
Collaboration
Grow the network
Share resourcesOpen source IP
Develop competitorsCultivate leadership
Source: Forces for Good by Heather McLeod Grant and Leslie R. Crutchfield (2007)Source: Heather McLeod Grant and Leslie R. Crutchfield, “Forces for Good,” (2007).
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Network Leadership Roles
Source: Building the Field of Dreams by Stephanie Lowell (2007)Source: Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor, “Net Gains: a Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change.” (2006)
Organizer
Funder
Facilitator
Weaver
Coach
Steward
Establishes purpose and value propositions Establishes first links to participants
Provides initial resources for organizing the network
Works to increase connections among participants May focus on growing the network by connecting to new
participants
Advises organizers, weavers, facilitators, and coordinators
Informally helps to build the network without a formal role
Coordinator Helps participants to undertake collective action Ensures flow of information and other resources
Network Leadership could be one person doing many things, or many people each doing one thing.
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Tasks of Network Leadership: What Network Leaders Do
Building and Developing the Network
Allocating Resources
Communicating
Managing Technology
ConnectingMembers
CatalyzingAction
Capacity Building/ Coaching
Building Consensus
FacilitatingProcess
Helpful Sources: Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor, “Net Gains: a Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change.” (2006) and June Holley, “Network Weaver Checklist,” (2006).
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• People oriented / natural connector• Comfortable with ambiguity• Humility / low ego• Systems thinking / see patterns• Ability to identify talents in others• Skilled at group processes /
facilitation (good listening)• Conflict resolution skills• Comfort with technology• Adaptive• Seeks opportunity to share and
spread responsibility
Competencies of Network Leadership
Source: Building the Field of Dreams by Stephanie Lowell (2007)
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Challenges Faced by Individuals / Network Leaders:
Unlearning past behaviors and frameworks (organizational mindset)
Letting go of control
Managing time and network expectations
Setting boundaries around work
Dealing with information overload
Learning and leveraging new technologies
Measuring your success
Working Wikily Isn’t Easy…
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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What did you learn? Where did score yourself hi/ low?
What are your priority goals for development?
What are three tangible things you can do to strengthen your network leadership?
What would help you achieve these goals?
Is there a correlation between network / leadership diagnostics?
Network Weaver Checklist
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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Strengthening Your Network
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Purpose
Participation
Strategy and Structure
Leadership
Communications & Technology
Resource Management
Assessment
Clearly articulated purpose Delivers value/ outcomes to members
Trust Diversity High engagement
Balance of top-down and bottom-up logic Space for self-organized action
Leadership with “network mindset” Distributed leadership
Strategic IT Ample shared space: on-line and in-person
Ability surface network talent Ability to tap excess capacity
Learning-capture Ability to gather and act on feedback
Governance Governance by a group representative of the network’s diversity Openness
Helpful Sources: M. Kearns and K. Showalter; J. Holley and V. Krebs; P. Plastrik and M. Taylor; J. W. Skillern; C. Shirky
Characteristics of Healthy Networks: Overview
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Source: Valdis Krebs and June Holley, “Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving,” (2006). Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com.
How Networks Progress and Evolve
1. 2.
3. 4. Multi-Hub Small World Core Periphery
Hub and SpokeScattered Clusters
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Nurture quality connections so projects can be high risk & high impact
Bridge difference. Connect people and ideas that normally don’t go together
Support overlapping projects or collaborations, many very small, initiated by many
Map the network in order to visualize structure, diagnose strengths and weaknesses, and identify strategies for growing the network
Grow and engage periphery to bring in new resources and innovation
A Few Strategies for Strengthening Your Network
Source: Adapted from June Holley, www.networkweaving.com. Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com
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The Green and Healthy Building Network: 2005
Source: Barr Foundation “Green and Healthy Building Network Case Study” by Beth Tener, Al Neirenberg, Bruce Hoppe
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Source: Barr Foundation “Green and Healthy Building Network Case Study” by Beth Tener, Al Neirenberg, Bruce Hoppe
The Green and Healthy Building Network: 2007
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Appendix
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250K Individuals Used Networks to Coordinate Protests
“Ordinary folks are using the power of the Internet to organize. In the old days, organizing large groups of people required an organization. Now
people can coordinate themselves.”– Wall Street Journal, April 15, 2009