The Berkana Institute
Using Emergence
to Take Social Innovation to Scale
Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze

The Berkana Institute
Using Emergence to Take Social
Innovation to Scale
Margaret Wheatley & Deborah Frieze
Despite current ads and slogans, how life truly changes, which is
the world doesn’t change one through emergence. When separ-
person at a time. It changes as ate, local efforts connect with each
networks of relationships form other as networks, then strength-
en as communities of practice,
among people who discover they
suddenly and surprisingly a new
share a common cause and vision
system emerges at a greater level
of what’s possible. of scale. This system of influence
This is good news for those of possesses qualities and capacities
us intent on changing the world that were unknown in the indi-
and creating a positive future. viduals. It isn’t that they were hid-
Rather than worry about critical den; they simply don’t exist until
mass, our work is to foster critical the system emerges. They are prop-
connections. We don’t need to con- erties of the system, not the indi-
vince large numbers of people to vidual, but once there, individuals
change; instead, we need to connect possess them. And the system that
with kindred spirits. Through these emerges always possesses greater
relationships, we will develop the power and influence than is pos-
new knowledge, practices, courage sible through planned, incremental
and commitment that lead to change. Emergence is how life
broad-based change. creates radical change and takes
But networks aren’t the whole things to scale.
story. As networks grow and Since its inception in 1992,
transform into active, working The Berkana Institute has been
communities of practice, we discover experimenting with the lifecycle of
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emergence: how living systems be- these everywhere, it is not because
gin as networks, shift to intentional they’re a new form of organizing.
communities of practice, and evolve It’s because we’ve removed our old
into powerful systems capable paradigm blinders that look for
of global influence. Through our hierarchy and control mechanisms
work with communities in many in the belief that organization only
different nations, we are learning happens through human will and
what’s possible when we connect intervention.
people across difference and dis- Networks are the only form of
tance. By applying the lessons organization on this planet used
of living systems and work- by living systems. These networks
ing intentionally with emergence result from self-organization, where
and its lifecycle, we are demon- individuals or species recognize
strating how local social innovation their interdependence and organize
can be taken to scale and pro- in ways that support the diversity
vide solutions to many of the world’s and viability of all. Networks create
most intractable issues—such as the conditions for emergence,
community health, ecological sus- which is how life changes. Because
tainability and economic self- networks are the first stage in emer-
reliance. gence, it is essential that we under-
stand their dynamics and how they
Why we need to understand develop into communities and then
networks systems.
Researchers and social activists are Yet much of the current work on
beginning to discover the power networks displays old paradigm bias.
of networks and networking. In social network analysis, physical
And there is a growing recognition representations of the network are
that networks are the new form created by mapping relationships.
of organizing. Evidence of self- This is useful for convincing people
organized networks is everywhere: that networks exist, and people
from social activists and web-based are often fascinated to see the
interest groups to terrorist groups network made visible. Other net-
and street gangs. While we now see work analysts name roles played
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by members of the network or Western assumptions of how change
make distinctions between differ- happens that it often takes quite a
ent parts of the network, such as while to understand it. In nature,
core and periphery. It may not be change never happens as a result of
the intent of these researchers, but top-down, pre-conceived strategic
their work is often used by leaders plans, or from the mandate of any
to find ways to manipulate the single individual or boss. Change
network, to use it in a traditional begins as local actions spring up
and controlling way. simultaneously in many different
What’s missing in these analyses areas. If these changes remain
is an exploration of the dynamics of disconnected, nothing happens
networks: beyond each locale. However, when
• Why do networks form? What they become connected, local ac-
are the conditions that support tions can emerge as a powerful
their creation? system with influence at a more
• What keeps a network alive and global or comprehensive level.
growing? What keeps members (Global here means a larger scale,
connected? not necessarily the entire planet.)
• What type of leadership is re- These powerful emergent phen-
quired? omena appear suddenly and
• Why do people become leaders? surprisingly. Think about how the
• What type of leadership interferes Berlin Wall suddenly came down,
with or destroys the network? how the Soviet Union ended, how
• What happens after a healthy corporate power quickly came to
network forms? What’s next? dominate globally. In each case,
• If we understand these dynamics there were many local actions and
and the lifecycle of emergence, decisions, most of which were
what can we do as leaders, activists invisible and unknown to each other,
and social entrepreneurs to inten- and none of which was powerful
tionally foster emergence? enough by itself to create change.
But when these local changes
What is Emergence? coalesced, new power emerged.
Emergence violates so many of our What could not be accomplished
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by diplomacy, politics, protests, or would do better to connect them
strategy suddenly happened. And to like-minded others and create
when each materialized, most the conditions for emergence. The
of us were surprised. Emergent skills and capacities needed by
phenomena always have these them will be found in the system
characteristics: They exert much that emerges, not in better training
more power than the sum of their programs.
parts; they always possess new Because emergence only hap-
capacities different from the local pens through connections, Berkana
actions that engendered them; has developed a four-stage model
they always surprise us by their that catalyzes connections as the
appearance. means to achieve large-scale
It is important to note that change: Name, Connect, Nourish,
emergence always results in a Illuminate (see Appendix). We focus
powerful system that has many on discovering pioneering efforts
more capacities than could ever and naming them as such. We
be predicted by analyzing the then connect these efforts to other
individual parts. We see this in the similar work globally. We nourish
behavior of hive insects such as this network in many ways, but
bees and termites. Individual ants most essentially through creating
possess none of the intelligence or opportunities for learning and
skills that are in the hive. No matter sharing experiences and shifting
how intently scientists study the into communities of practice. We
behavior of individual ants, they also illuminate these pioneering
can never see the behavior of the efforts so that many more people
hive. Yet once the hive forms, each will learn from them. We are
ant acts with the intelligence and attempting to work intentionally
skillfulness of the whole. with emergence so that small, local
This aspect of emergence efforts can become a global force
has profound implications for for change.
social entrepreneurs. Instead of
developing them individually as
leaders and skillful practitioners, we
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The Lifecycle of Emergence emergence is the development of
Stage One: Networks communities of practice (CoPs).
Many such smaller, individuated
communities can spring from a
robust network. CoPs are also self-
organized. People share a common
work and realize there is great
benefit to being in relationship.They
Networks: Discovering Shared use this community to share what
Meaning and Purpose they know, to support one another,
and to intentionally create new
We live in a time when coalitions, knowledge for their field of
alliances and networks are forming as practice.
the means to create societal change.
There are ever more networks and
now, networks of networks. These
networks are essential for people
finding like-minded others, the first
stage in the lifecycle of emergence.
It’s important to note that networks
are only the beginning. They are Communities of Practice:
based on self-interest: people us- Developing New Practices Together
ually network together for their
own benefit and to develop their
own work. Networks tend to have These CoPs differ from net-
fluid membership; people move works in significant ways. They are
in and out of them based on how communities, which means that
much they personally benefit from people make a commitment to be
participating. there for each other; they participate
not only for their own needs, but to
Stage Two: Communities of serve the needs of others.
Practice In a community of practice, the
Networks make it possible for focus extends beyond the needs of
people to find others engaged in the group. There is an intentional
similar work. The second stage of commitment to advance the field
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of practice, and to share those
discoveries with a wider audience.
They make their resources and
knowledge available to anyone,
especially those doing related work.
The speed with which people
learn and grow in a community of
practice is noteworthy. Good ideas Systems of Influence:
move rapidly among members. New Practices Become the Norm
New knowledge and practices are
implemented quickly. The speed be done suddenly become chief
at which knowledge development supporters (often saying they knew
and exchange happens is crucial, it all along).
because local regions and the world Emergence is the fundamental
need this knowledge and wisdom scientific explanation for how
now. local changes can materialize as
global systems of influence. As a
Stage Three: Systems of Influence
change theory, it offers methods
The third stage in emergence can and practices to accomplish the
never be predicted. It is the sudden systems-wide changes that are so
appearance of a system that has real needed at this time. As leaders and
power and influence. Pioneering communities of concerned people,
efforts that hovered at the periphery we need to intentionally work with
suddenly become the norm. The emergence so that our efforts will
practices developed by courageous result in a truly hopeful future. No
communities become the accepted matter what other change strategies
standard. People no longer hesitate we have learned or favored,
about adopting these approaches emergence is the only way change
and methods, and they learn them really happens on this planet. And
easily. Policy and funding debates that is very good news.
now include the perspectives and
experiences of these pioneers. They
become leaders in the field and
are acknowledged as the wisdom
keepers for their particular issue.
And critics who said it could never
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Appendix
Berkana’s Four Stages for Developing Leadership-in-Community
Berkana works with pioneering leaders and communities using a four-stage
approach. This has evolved out of our understanding of how living systems grow
and change, and years of practice and experimentation.
I. Name
Pioneering leaders act in isolation, unaware that their work has broader value.
They are too busy to think about extending their work, and too humble to think
that others would benefit. Berkana’s first act is to recognize them as pioneers with
experiences that are of value to others.
II. Connect
Life grows and changes through the strength of its connections and relationships.
(In nature, if a system lacks health, the solution is to connect it to more of
itself.) Berkana creates connections in many different ways. We design and facilitate
community gatherings. We host networks where people can exchange ideas and
resources. Our collaborative technology supports communities of practice through
dedicated websites, online conferences, asynchronous conversations and co-created
knowledge.
III. Nourish
Communities of practice need many different resources: ideas, mentors, processes,
technology, equipment, money. Each is important, but foremost among these
is learning and knowledge: knowing what techniques and processes work well,
and learning from experience as people do the work. Berkana provides many of
these sources of nourishment but, increasingly, we find that the most significant
nourishment comes from the interactions and exchanges among pioneering leaders
themselves. They need and want to share their practices, experiences and dreams.
Creating opportunities for people to learn together has become our primary way
of nourishing their efforts.
IV. Illuminate
It is difficult for anybody to see work based on a different paradigm. If people
do notice such work, it is often characterized as inspiring deviations from the
norm. It takes time and attention for people to see different approaches for what
they are: examples of what the new world could be. The Berkana community
publishes articles, tells our stories at conferences, and hosts learning journeys
where people visit pioneering efforts, learn from them directly and develop lasting
relationships.
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Margaret Wheatley is the founder of The Berkana Institute. Meg has
been working with people for many years to develop radically new
practices and ideas for organizing, where people are seen as the
blessing, not the problem. She is an internationally acclaimed
speaker and author of Leadership and the New Science, A Simpler Way,
Turning to One Another, and most recently, Finding Our Way.
Deborah Frieze is the Co-President of The Berkana Institute. She joined
Berkana in 2002 to help bring Berkana’s vision into the world. A few years
later, she co-founded the Berkana Exchange, a community of leadership
learning centers that are developing the capacity to solve their most press-
ing problems—such as community health, ecological sustainability and
economic self-reliance—by acting locally, connecting regionally and
learning trans-locally. She is a member of the Tipping Point Network, a
group seeking to catalyze a globally sustainable economy.
www.berkana.org
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