Understanding Difference Between Vertical and Horizontal Networks

Collaboration and eLearning
A discussion of Vertical vs. Horizontal Learning Networks
A Horizontal Network
People connected to each other in face-to-
face events, or on Facebook, Twitter, etc, who
share a common interest (sports, art), or a
common background (family, college,
business), etc. are in a horizontal network.
People representing goals of vertical
networks are part of horizontal networks, too.
Pg 1
A Vertical Network
People working together or collectively to
achieve a shared goal over a period of time
are in a vertical network. Certain actions,
repeated over and over, by many people,
are needed to achieve the shared purpose.
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present); Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), http://www.tutormentorexchange.net

Collective Effort
Our aim is to reduce the costs of poverty by helping more youth in high
poverty areas move through school and into careers. This takes 20-25
years for EACH youth.
Pg 2
This essay shares ideas about vertical and horizontal networks. It also shares
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC ideas about what cities and states accomplish when
leaders and citizens are working collectively toward shared goals that we
cannot achieve when working alone. It is based on Daniel F. Bassill's personal
experiences leading a two youth tutor/mentor programs in Chicago from 1975 to
2011, and leading the Tutor/Mentor Connection from 1993 to present time.
How many times can you find Dan in the above collection of photos?
Daniel F. Bassill

a Horizontal Network
The unifying factor is an event, a meeting place, a
common interest, such as in art, technology, social
entrepreneurship.
People who host and join such networks are interested in the topic and using
the ideas and people they meet to make a better world. The organizers connects
people in their network with each other.
Individuals within horizontal networks often represent vertical
networks.
However, horizontal networks themselves are not focused on a specific goal,
large or small, such as making computer learning available in all parts of
Chicago, or of using computers to support the growth of social services to
certain sectors throughout Chicago, or a single neighborhood.
Pg 3

This is an example of a horizontal network –
people from all over the world connected via a
single January 2012 event.
Pg 4
However, the work each group did during this event was not related to a single long-
term goal, such as clean water, ending hunger, educating kids, etc. Events like this are
important. Facebook and Twitter are huge horizontal networks because they connect
millions of people in on-going interactions.
http://jellyweek.tumblr.com/

People who meet weekly in Chicago at
#ChiHackNight and share ideas about
using civic technology are an example of
a horizontal network, in that there is no
single unifying long-term goal, other than
constant expansion in ways that civic
technology is used to benefit
communities. Supported by
http://www.chihacknight.org
Educators from around the world who
connect on-line via the #clmooc
community are another example of a
horizontal network. There's no specific
long term goal, other than to share
ideas to help each participant be a
more effective educator. Supported by
https://clmooc.com
Pg 5

This is a map showing groups that have participated in Drop-Out Prevention
Conferences in Chicago. It connects to other maps of youth-support networks.
While they are connected in learning events, most represent different organizations
which compete for attention and resources. Thus, they are a horizontal network
when they attend these events.
Pg 6
http://tinyurl.com/2011DropoutConf-Network

Major events, like National Conference on Volunteering and Service gather 4,000
to 6,000 participants in same place for one or two days. While the conference goal
may be to raise visibility and public funding for volunteerism in general, the
participants represent many different programs in different parts of the country.
This is article I wrote after attending 2008 conference
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2008/06/our-greatest-challenge-is-gaps-between.html
Pg 7

Most Horizontal Networks consist of people who have different
personal or organizational agendas.
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Environment
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Environment
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Environment
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Environment
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Environment
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
Event and/or
On-line
Meeting Place
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Environment
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
Environment
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
Family
work
Social
Political
Health
Race
Justice
skill
Faith
Alumni
THEY SHARE SAME SPACE
AND SOME COMMON GOALS
Pg 8
BUT NOT
SPECIFIC LONG TERM GOAL

a Vertical Network
The unifying factor is an vision, a shared purpose,
such as ending AIDS, gaining the vote for women,
saving the environment, helping kids in poverty.
People who host and join such networks are interested in the topic and using
the ideas and people they meet to make a better world. They are focused on
strategies and actions that must be repeated over and over for many years.
While there are thousands of Horizontal networks and meeting
places on the internet it is difficult to find a large number of
vertical networks.
Pg 9

Why is this Important?
Without the collective efforts of many people most
complex problems will not have enough on-going
commitment and flow of resources to be solved.
We have a tremendous potential to pull members from
horizontal networks into networks focused on specific
purposes.
Pg 10
As people in Horizontal Networks share ideas and
build relationships they can also point people to
web sites focused on specific purposes.
The following slides illustrate this idea as it has
been developed to support the growth of
volunteer-based tutoring, mentoring and learning
organizations reaching youth in areas of high
poverty inner-city neighborhoods.

Mentoring is not a magic pill. It’s part of a long-term
support system intended to help young people grow up
and enter adult roles.
The role of intermediaries, and leaders in a Vertical
Organization is to draw people together and focus
them on day-to-day actions that must repeat in many
places for many years.
Learning and collaboration are critical actions
that must be on-going in support of this effort.
A vertical network works toward a goal that can
only be achieved over a period of time.
Pg 11
VERTICAL NETWORKS ARE LINEAR
This graphic illustrates a long term goal
that requires the involvement of many
people in many places.

Tangela joined CC in 1993,
after being part of the
MW/Cabrini Green Tutoring
Program when in elementary
school.
School-Time Programs
3-5 PM Non-School Programs
Pre-K K - 5th 5th - 6th 6th - 8th
High
School
Career
Track
After 5 PM and Weekend Programs
If the goal is to help kids living in high
poverty neighborhoods be starting
jobs/careers by their mid-twenties….
How do we help tutor/mentor programs connect
with youth when they are young, and stay
connected to those kids from when we first meet
them, to when they need our help as adults?….
She was a speaker
at 2009 year-end
dinner. We are still
connected, via
Facebook, 30 years
later.
--- 16 years later.
Pg 12
VERTICAL NETWORKS
SHARE SAME QUESTIONS

a) data related to specific
issue/problem,
b) ways to draw millions to
the platform;
c) ways to engage the people
with the data in order to
create shared
understanding and,
d) ways to point the efforts of
the group to places within
geographic boundaries
where the ideas and action
can support constant
improvement, or
betterment, resolution of
the problem.
A social problem solving platform with
vertical and horizontal components:
This graphic shows the platform
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC has been trying
to build for more than a decade.
Pg 13

A Vertical Network has core strategies and shared knowledge that needs to
be owned in many places.
View 4 part strategy - http://tinyurl.com/TMC-4-Part-Strategy
Pg 14
This concept map shows
the four-part strategy
developed since 1993 by
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
View at http://tinyurl.com/TMI-4-Pt-Strategy

Vertical Network members need to be aligned in a
planning process that defines goals, generates
resources and maintains public support for many years.
View this concept map at http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Planning
Pg 15

Vertical networks need to have many
people, and many leaders. They all
need to be spending time regularly
reading, reflecting, talking and
sharing ideas that support the on-
going work of the network to fill
specific geographic locations with
needed products and services.
Each of the 17 United Nation's
Global Goals needs to be supported
by massive vertical networks. See
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/susta
inable-development-goals/
Pg 16

• poverty has not changed in the past
10, 20 years
• quality of life for minorities living in
segregated poverty is poor and should
be something every citizen is
concerned about
• education is the key to improving
quality of life and to drawing business
and families into the city
• people come out when their lives are
personally affected
• if you mobilize thousands of people,
you threaten (change) existing powers
• we need to build a broader coalition,
including whites and suburbanites, not
just minorities
Youth living in inner city poverty face
challenges that most kids do not have.
However, most people who vote and determine public
policy do not have a personal experience, or investment in
what happens to these kids.
Pg 17
In a Horizontal Network People talk about an
issue. In a vertical network people focus on
actions that build long-term solutions to the
problem.

• We must personally engage individuals within companies and professional
associations. Personal involvement makes people willing to advocate for
investments in poverty reduction strategies
• Launch an on-going strategy of “comparative recognition” motivate
companies to duplicate strategies already in place in competitor or sister
organizations
• Recruit visible spokespeople. If Oprah, Barack or LaBron say “read it”
people will spend much more time learning from the information on T/MC and
related web sites; if faith leaders include this strategy in their own weekly
leadership, congregations will begin to become learning communities
• Innovate. Look for “shared value” opportunities. However, there are
many other ways to draw visitors to this strategy, which ultimately will draw
more visible public leaders.
• Provide comparative knowledge base. Show how existing businesses
already profit from involvement in community strategies
• Show the theoretical case for increased profits through innovative
investment
• Build a moral case for strategic investment
• Provide tools and Support to make it easy
The Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC is a Vertical
Network. It seeks to Increase Business Involvement.
This requires more than making a theoretical case
for investment.
Pg 18
A vertical network seeks to increase members
Network growth - http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Network-growth

Anyone can be a leader in a Vertical Network as along as
you are aligned with others in a shared vision.
Pg 19
T/MI seeks to link these groups with each other. Read
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC - http://tinyurl.com/TMLN-Scribd

Do you share this commitment?
If leaders in private, public and social sector put their names, or
organization names in the blue box at the top of this concept map, they
become part of a vertical network.
Pg 20

Mapping skills needed to accomplish goals of Vertical Network can
help recruit talent needed. See Skills and Network maps at
http://tinyurl.com/TMC-Talent-needed
Getting the right
mix of talent and
networks involved
in this effort is
extremely difficult.
Pg 21

Geographic maps can focus members on all parts of a region where same
problem exists, and where similar services are needed. In Vertical Network
all actions of members and leadership should aim to drive resources and ideas to
all of the organizations needed in accomplishing the goals of the network.
By maintaining a map/directory of Chicago area tutor/mentor programs we
enable anyone to take actions that push resources to all programs. Find T/MI's
list of programs at https://tutormentorexchange.net/chicago-area-program-links
Pg 22
See maps at http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com

No Organization Starts out GREAT
It takes many years of constant investment of time,
talent and dollars for a tutor/mentor program to
build trust and participation of youth and
volunteers. Great programs reach this level.
Then it takes a minimum of six years of GREAT
effort to help a 7th
grader through high school and
another 4 to 6 years until he/she is in a job.
If we can affect the funding stream, and the talent flow, we can affect systems and
do more to help youth in poverty move successfully through school and into jobs
and careers that enable them to raise their own children outside of high poverty.
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present); Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present), http://www.tutormentorexchange.net Pg 23

Helping non profits grow from good to great
The goal of these slides is to show the infrastructure needed to support non profits doing
similar work in multiple locations. These diagrams illustrate the need for on-going actions
and support to help organizations grow from good to great.
Flow of water turns wheel as it
catches each tong. The faster
the water flows, the faster the
wheel turns.
Consistent flow of volunteers
and operating dollars keeps a
non profit growing from good to
great.
Nonprofit
Growth
The “FLYWHEEL” effect
As the spark ignites gas and
forces the pistons up and down,
these turn the cylinder that
keeps the wheel turning.
Volunteers and donors can
provide the spark non profits
need if there is an on-going
supply provided by businesses,
churches, colleges, and
national service.
The spark that propels the
“ENGINE” effect
$$
Vol
Pg 24
VERTICAL ORGANIZATIONS FOCUS ON
THIS “GOOD TO GREAT” PROCESS

What makes the Tutor/Mentor Connection/Institute, LLC unique is its focus on drawing needed
ideas and resources directly to youth tutor/mentor programs in all high poverty areas of Chicago.
We must change how programs are funded.
See articles with this graphic at
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com/2018/05/helping-k-12-youth-in-poverty-areas.html
Pg 25

It takes a core group of dedicated
leaders with a long-term vision and
commitment to make this happen.
Read about collective impact and the STRIVE program in Cincinnati in
this Stanford Social Innovation Review article -
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/collective_impact
“If young people are connected with caring adults for sustained periods of
time, year-round, positive results do emerge.” See Quantum Opportunities
https://web.archive.org/web/20101228151550/http://www.aypf.org/publications/compendium/C1S37.pdf
“I'm now connected to many youth who were part of tutor/mentor programs I
led as many as 30 or 40 years ago and see them posting stories on
Facebook about their own kids finishing high school and college. That's
what we hoped would happen.” Daniel F. Bassill, Tutor/Mentor Institute,
LLC
Pg 26

When leaders are documenting actions toward long-term goals in systems that
aggregate this information, we’ll have better accountability, and better results.
This 2002 PDF report summarizes data collected from 2000 to 2002. It shows the type of data that
was collected by the Tutor/Mentor Connection documentation platform built in 2008.
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/images/PDF/tmc_ohats_report_sep-00_thru_mar-02.pdf
See archive of the website
https://web.archive.org/web/20130116060424/http://www.tutormentorprogramlocator.net/ohats/home.aspx
Pg 27

Progress toward goal can be expressed visually in many ways.
These are some of graphics found at http://tutormentor.blogspot.com
Pg 28
Students in schools, non-school programs, colleges can create these visualizations. See examples at
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/definition-of-issues/ideasanimation

BIRTH TO WORK
THIS MAP SHOWS MANY DIFFERENT HORIZONTAL NETWORKS
THAT COULD BE CONNECTED IN SHARED EFFORT OF HELPING
YOUTH ALONG A 25-30 YEAR JOURNEY FROM BIRTH TO WORK.
A youth’s network and the people in it can make a difference in the journey from
birth to work. Creating such networks for youth living in high poverty is the role of
vertical networks such as the Tutor/Mentor Connection.
Pg 29

Imagine if each leader were mapping his own network
and leading actions that grow it from year-to-year.
Pg 30
In a Vertical Network this growth would have great impact.
See network map at http://tinyurl.com/TMC-DanNetwork

These are thousands of Horizontal Learning Networks that T/MC
has been part of, such as these shown below:
Tutor/Mentor Institute aggregates links to some of these networks
Blog list in library - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-Learning-Networking-Blogs
Innovation/Collaboration – https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-collaboration-links
Volunteer support networks - https://tinyurl.com/TMIL-vol-admin-networks
Each of these draws people together to learn from each other. They offer
tremendous value to participants. However, there is no clear focus on
achieving a specific goal. There are many goals, represented by each of
the participants in these forums.
Pg 31
Places to connect with Dan Bassill -
http://tinyurl.com/TMC-DanNetwork
Daniel F. Bassill

I’ve been sharing this idea of vertical and
horizontal networks for many years. This is from
a 2005 discussion held on techsoup.org
Pg 32
“I'd like to draw a difference between horizontal and vertical learning organizations.
I believe that at present, most on-line learning and networking web sites are horizontal
organizations. They collect lots of people who have a common interest, such as in
technology, or politics, etc. and enable people to share ideas in a variety of formats.
They are great for networking and exchanging ideas. However, most of the participants
represent organizations with different missions and focus areas. The host of a horizontal
learning organization is not the CEO of a business intended to accomplish a specific
result as an outcome of a sequence of eConferences...unless it's a generic result, such
as better uses of technology, or better understanding of a problem.
The Tutor/Mentor Connection is what I call a vertical organization. We focus on actions
that help kids living in poverty connect with adults in structured tutor/mentor programs
that aim to mentor kids toward jobs and careers.”
I described this discussion in articles at
https://tutormentor.blogspot.com/search?q=tech+soup Sadly, the links are broken; the
conversation is no longer found on the current Tech Soup website.

Additional Reading
These articles show how youth, volunteers and others in
Chicago and in other cities can help collect information,
build public attention, and educate volunteer, donors and
public leaders.
Network Building -
http://tinyurl.com/TMI-Be-Difference-Maker
Information Collection -
http://tinyurl.com/TMI-InformationGathering
Communications and PR -
http://tinyurl.com/TMI-RestOfStoryInterns
See how interns are helping-
http://michaelcnt.blogspot.com/
Pg 33

Dig into Tutor/Mentor Library
This Map Shows Section Focused on Learning, Collaboration,
Knowledge Management & Innovation - http://tinyurl.com/TMILibrary-
Innovation-etc
Pg 34

As you view this and other visual essays consider
how these ideas apply to your own community.
Then create and share your own versions.
Create your own Vertical Network.
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net
http://tutormentor.blogspot.com
http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com
Email: tutormentor2@earthlink.net
Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC was created in 2011 to continue
the work of Tutor/Mentor Connection, which was created in 1993
under a non-profit organizational structure. Our goal is to share and embed these
ideas in organizations throughout Chicago and in other cities which also are
challenged by high concentrations of poverty and gaps between rich and poor.
Connect with Dan on social media at one of these sites:
https://tutormentorexchange.net/social-media
Daniel F. Bassill
D.H.L.
Founder, Leader

Understanding Difference Between Vertical and Horizontal Networks

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