CFMC NWLC 20100818

Social Network Support Project: Network Weaver Learning Community Community Foundation for Monterey County Diana Scearce and Janet Shing August 18, 2010 Thank you June Holley of Network Weaving, Monitor Institute, and Packard Foundation

A Few Questions to Begin to Weave Our Network

What Are Your Network Challenges?
Scarce resources
Time
Regular participation
Diverse participation (e.g. differing capacity for follow-through)
Increasing participation
Geographic isolation—distance from core network activity
Leveraging social media
Political infighting—focus on individual vs. shared interests
Source of photo: http://hullstudent.com/files/minisites/2288/People.jpg

Today’s Workshop
Introductions and Your Networks Work
Overview, Context, Goals
What Are Networks? Why Do They Matter for Social Change?
Characteristics of Healthy Networks
Monterey County Networks and Network Weaving
Vision for the Learning Community

Intelligence emerges as the system connects to itself in new and diverse ways. - Meg Wheatley

Today’s Goals
Understand definitions of networks, how they differ from organizations, functions of networks, characteristics of healthy networks, and qualities of weavers
Understand scope and expectations of four-part learning community
Decide or come close to deciding if you would like to continue being part of this learning community

Overall Training Goals
By the end of the four sessions, participants will
be inspired to work with a network mindset and to continue weaving and building networks
have a deeper understanding of network theory, as it applies to social networks, and characteristics of a healthy network
be able to recognize the qualities of network weavers/leaders; recognize and affirm individual weaver qualities and successes
understand network life cycles
appreciate the role of evaluating networks and learn how the network can help evaluate its own progress
have practiced applying weaver practices and shared their challenges and learnings with each other
have received an introduction to network mapping software

Community Foundation’s Interest
in the Social Network Support Project
Assess community assets, needs, and priorities so CFMC can make appropriate grants and other contributions to community development.
Describe current network and use as baseline for joint reflection, priority-setting, increased knowledge communication, cooperation, coordination, monitoring, and planning.

Why You?

Today’s Workshop

What Is a Social Network? Monitor Institute A collection of people connected by relationships

network
adjective : connected, transparent, decentralized
verb : to connect, to spread, to organize into a network
noun : a structural form for organizing
Monitor Institute

Centralized Decentralized Note: These categories often overlap. Most of the examples fit in to multiple categories.
Nonprofit organizations ( without explicit network structure)
Membership organizations (Organizations with network component)
Nonprofits with explicit network strategy and structure
Coalition / Alliance (network of organizations)
Networks of networks
Ad hoc networks
Monitor Institute. Developed from: Plastrik, Taylor, “Net Gains,” (2006); Anklam, “Net Work,” (2007); Krebs, Holley. “Building Smart Communities,” (2006).Source for Network Graphics: orgnet.com A Typology of Organizing Structures

Networks Aren’t New… Monitor Institute

… and New Online Spaces for Connecting People But, There Are New Tools for Sharing Content Monitor Institute

Combined With New Understanding of Social Ties
“ If someone tells you that you can influence 1,000 people, it changes your way of seeing the world. ”
Dr. James Fowler
Monitor Institute

‘ Working wikily’ is an emerging leadership style characterized by greater openness, transparency, decentralized decision-making, and collective action
Enabling Social Change With a Network Mindset Source of network image: orgnet.com Monitor Institute

What Do We Mean by “Network Mindset”?
Centralized
Firmly controlled
Planned
Proprietary
Transactional
One-way
communications
Decentralized
Loosely controlled
Emergent
Open, shared
Relational
Two-way
conversations
Where are you? The answer will be different for different situations Monitor Institute Established Ways of Working Social Change with a Network Mindset

How Do Coalitions Relate to Networks?
Problem and answer are clear
Whole group decision-making
Whole group planning
Whole group acts
Reach goal through planned action
Problem complex; solution unclear
Network does not make all decisions together
Experimenting, sharing results
Many collaborative projects
Emergent change
What is needed for your situation? The answer will likely be a combination of coalition and network models. Adapted from June Holley Coalition-centric Network-centric

Why do networks matter for social change and what can they help you DO?

Weave Communities MAVRAC Monitor Institute

Access Diverse Perspectives Monitor Institute

Build and Share Knowledge Monitor Institute

Mobilizing People and Building Movements Source: Breaking New Ground: Using the Internet to Scale , by Heather McLeod Grant and Katherine Fulton; photos from KaBOOM! website Monitor Institute

Coordinate Resources and Action Monitor Institute

Why do networks matter for your work? What are the benefits?

Why is it Hard to Work with a Network Mindset? Unlearning past behaviors and frameworks Dealing with information overload Brand and message control Privacy concerns Learning and leveraging new technologies Assessing impact Source of images: Cut Throat Communications, Blog.com, Rutgers University RU FAIR, Kodaikanal International School, flickr Managing for accuracy Monitor Institute

Today’s Workshop

Value Participation Form Leadership Connection Capacity Learning & Adaptation
Clearly articulated give and get for participants
Delivers value/ outcomes to participants
Trust
Diversity
High engagement
Balance of top-down and bottom-up logic
Space for self-organized action
Embraces openness, transparency, decentralization
Shared leadership
Strategic use of social media
Ample shared space: on-line and in-person
Ability surface & tap network talent
Model for sustainability
Mechanisms for learning-capture
Ability to gather and act on feedback
Governance
Reflective of the network’s diversity
Transparent
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 Monitor Institute

Today’s Workshop

Why is Community Foundation interested in this?
Nonprofit organizations have the potential to increase their effectiveness and have a greater impact in the community and in their field by actively engaging in a network.

A Few Helpful Definitions Core Monitor Institute Link Node Cluster Periphery Hub

Adult Literacy, Monterey County, June 2009 Visualizing the Overall Network Some school-based and government agencies in the core (1, pink and blue), with nonprofits outside (2, red). Only one faith-based organization (3). 1 2 3 Type of Organization nonprofit government faith-based fdn/grantmaker school unknown

Greenfield Network, September 2009 Visualizing the Overall Network Mix of types of orgs in the core but mainly nonprofit and govt (1, red and blue; schools on edge of core - turquiose), relatively small periphery (2, yellow). Relatively few Greenfield-based (3) 1 2 3 Type of Organization nonprofit government other fdn/grantmaker religious school named, but did not take survey

Environment, Monterey Bay, November 2009 Visualizing the Overall Network Nonprofits, educ inst, and govt make up the core (1 turquoise, blue, and black); couple hubs (2) and many nodes who could easily be brought into core (3) 1 2 3 Type of Organization nonprofit organization educational institution government agency grassroots / informal group named, but did not take survey

Youth, Monterey County, July 2010 Visualizing the Overall Network 1 Nonprofits and govt make up the core (1 red and black); schools on periphery (2 yellow); and those working on safety and violence prevention are well-integrated (3) 2 3 Type of Organization government funder nonprofit collaborative other faith-based named, but did not take survey school

Youth Development Network Salinas October 2007 - 150 surveyed; 35% (53) responded A map of all the different networks shows fairly loose connections. Funders and non-profits compose most of the core (1, blue and black nodes), surrounded by sub-clusters of government actors (2, red nodes). Schools are not as well connected (3, yellow nodes spread around the periphery). One can also see a number of poorly connected individual networks (4) Government Agency Foundation Non-Profit For-Profit School Unknown Religious Other All Networks by Organization Type

Metrics scores are calculated by responses to network questions (e.g., shared resource, collaboration, future collaboration, energize/ideas)

Metrics continued…

What Roles Can You Play?
Catalyst or Organizer
Sponsor
Facilitator /Coordinator
Coach
Technology Steward
Participant
Assessor
Weaver
‘ Network weaving’ can cut across many of these roles Monitor Institute

Weaving is the intentional practice of helping people to build – and connect to – more relationships of trust and value, mostly by virtue of being genuinely interested in building and connecting oneself to more relationships of trust and value … Weaving is genuine human caring and love…
Bill Traynor

What are the characteristics and skills of an effective network weaver?
Source for Network Graphic: orgnet.com

Convene diverse people and groups
Engage network participants
Generate cooperation and collective action
Broker connections and bridge difference
Build social capital – emphasize trust and reciprocity
What is the Work of Network Weaving? Source: Adapted from Net Work by Patti Anklam (2007) and “Vertigo and the Intentional Inhabitant: Leadership in a Connected World” by Bill Traynor (2009) Source of picture: flickr Monitor Institute

What is the Work of Network Weaving? (cont.)
Nurture self-organization
Genuinely participate . Influence from the inside
Leverage technology
Create, preserve, and protect network ‘space’
Source: Adapted from Net Work by Patti Anklam (2007) and “Vertigo and the Intentional Inhabitant: Leadership in a Connected World” by Bill Traynor (2009) Source of picture: flickr Monitor Institute

June Holley’s Network Weaver Checklist

Complete the self-assessment
Gather in groups of three and
Assign a time keeper so everyone has time for a turn
Share your top strength and challenge/ area for strengthening
As a group, brainstorm strategies for how you can overcome that challenge
Instructions:

What might a network weaver’s job include ?
Introduce network concepts and mapping
Connecting to enhance the network
Move the network to action
Build network support structures
Help others become Network Weavers
What else?
What do you want to work on and/or experiment with? ?

Today’s Workshop

Overall Training Goals
By the end of the four sessions, participants will
be inspired to work with a network mindset and to continue weaving and building networks
have a deeper understanding of network theory, as it applies to social networks, and characteristics of a healthy network
be able to recognize the qualities of network weavers/leaders; recognize and affirm individual weaver qualities and successes
understand network life cycles
appreciate the role of evaluating networks and learn how the network can help evaluate its own progress
have practiced applying weaver practices and shared their challenges and learnings with each other
have received an introduction to network mapping software

Input for the Learning Community
What are the topics you want to work on (including topics addressed today to go deeper on)?
What are live projects / issues you’re dealing with that you’d like to work on with this learning community?
What do you want to work on or experiment with between now and our next gathering?

“ Networks are everywhere. We just need an eye for seeing them.” Albert- Laszlo Barbarasi

CFMC NWLC 20100818

by Janet Shing

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