Network weavers work to make communities healthier by strategically connecting people and groups. They help people find opportunities for collaboration, support self-organizing projects, and strengthen relationships within the network. Traditional leadership focuses on control, while network leadership facilitates bottom-up innovation and emergence. Network weavers shift to a more collaborative mindset, understand their network's structure, and support open communication to increase connectivity. Their roles include connecting people, starting network-building, and establishing systems to coordinate self-organized groups and projects.

1. Network Weaving
Creating Stronger Communities

2. NETWORK WEAVERS
June Holley’s Definition: A Network
Weaver is someone who is aware of
the networks around them and
explicitly works to make them healthier
(more inclusive, bridging divides).
Network Weavers do this by
connecting people strategically where
there’s potential for mutual benefit,
helping people identify their passions,
and serving as a catalyst for self-
organizing groups.

3. As A Network Weaver
• You help people see opportunities
• Support initiation of collaborative projects
• You coach and support
• You help them notice what works
• You encourage them to spread the
patterns of success and scale
• You help deepen the quality of
relationships
• You help people learn to work in
networked ways

4. Traditional Mindset: Hub & Spokes

5. Network Mindset
“connect and collaborate” rather than “command and control”

6. Steps to Network Weaving
* Shift in leadership mindset
* Know your network
* Socialize
* Listen and Engage
* Connect
* Strengthen Network Systems
* Evolve Your Role as the Network Matures

7. Network Leadership
Organizational Leadership
Position, authority
Few leaders
Leader broadcasts
Leader controls
Top down
Planning
Provides service
Network Leadership
Role, behavior
Everyone is a leader
Leader engages
Leader facilitates and supports
Bottom Up
Innovation & Experimentation
Supports self-organization
Adapted from June Holley’s Network Weaving Handbook, pg 29

8. Allowing for
emergence, surprises,
experiments
Listening
Permeable boundaries
Sharing and giving
Transparency
Not putting
people into boxes
Valuing diversity
and inclusiveness
Value errors
and mistakes

9. http://ccc.georgkolb.com/
Mapping Networks
Mapping can
illuminate key
opportunities
for action and
investment
know the net -- see
the map of how
things really work
knit the net --
adjust the network
for improvements

10. BE GENEROUS

11. Increasing
Connectivity
• New audiences
bring new ideas
• Flow leads to
health
• Leave room for
adjustments and
the unexpected
• Rethink
“ownership”

12. Plan (or allow) for Emergence

13. Benefits of Strong Networks
• More efficient use of staff time
• Regenerative, constant flow
• Sustaining energy
• Responsive
• Focus on people and community
• Cultivate appreciation for “host”

14. Network Weaver Roles
Connector Catalyst
Connects people.
Gets network building started.
Build social culture.
Connector Catalyst
Connects people.
Gets network building started.
Build social culture.
Network Facilitator
Helps convene people to set up a
more explicit and focused
network.
Network Facilitator
Helps convene people to set up a
more explicit and focused
network.
Self-Organized
Project Coordinator
Helps coordinate
self-organized projects.
Self-Organized
Project Coordinator
Helps coordinate
self-organized projects.
Network Guardian
Helps put in place systems for
networks: communications,
training, support, etc.
Network Guardian
Helps put in place systems for
networks: communications,
training, support, etc.

15. Don’t Have All The Answers:
Over-functioning leadership disempowers networks

16. Thrive By Working Together

17. Chris Brogan
• Spend 20 minutes a day
observing your network.
• Spend 10 minutes a day
cultivating new relationships.
• Use an organized contact
management system to
manage relationships, not just
keep contact info.
• Deliver two to three times as
much value as you ask from
your network. This keeps
people eager to be helpful
when the time comes that you
need them.

18. Beth Kanter
• Make it personal. Ask for their stories,
their input, their thoughts. Emphasize their
importance to the community and allow
them to run with projects and to be creative
Everyone wants to contribute and to make
something better/leave a lasting mark.
• Humanize your leaders. Make them
available. If the members feel like the
community is very hierarchical they may never feel like they belong on
the “inside”. Use your position to energize your community.
• Play matchmaker. The leaders in the community should focus on
putting people together with like ideas, interests etc. help them bridge
the social interaction gap.

19. Network Weaving Handbook
Facebook group discussion:
http://bit.ly/networkweaving
Follow June Holley’s Work
on Network Weaving

20. Catalyzing Networks for Social Change,
Monitor Institute, pg 15

21. For more info: Deborah McLaren
651-983-9880 Deborah@mnmicro.net
Find my presentations at www.slideshare.net/deborahmclaren
5/14/14 – Charities Review