8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 1/15

 Need or challenge

Unusualconferences

Open to newideas & people

Breaking bigprojects into small

 joint designsessions

Networks,Self-Organizing,BreakthroughsandScale:

ACaseStudyJuneHolley,NetworkWeaver

September2010In1992,quiteafewtruckfarmershadbeendroppinginattheACEnetofficeandaskingwhatwecoulddotohelpthem.Theyweren’tmakingenoughmoneyfromsellingtheirvegetablesatthefarmers’marketandwantedtomakevalue-addedproducts,butthatrequiredalicensedfacility.Forasinglebusiness,thiscouldcostseveralhundredthousanddollars.

Afewmonthslater,theimportanceofattendingconferencestobumpintoinnovatorswasbroughthometomewhenIattendedaNationalBusinessIncubationAssociationconferencewhereIsatdownforlunchandmetVeronaLaMunyon.NowVerona,withherpuffyhairandpolkadotdress,wasnoone’sideaofaninnovator,butwhatshehaddevelopedwasnothingshortofrevolutionary!ThankgoodnessIhadthesensetolistentowhatshehadtosay.

Shehadgottenaccesstothekitchenspaceinanoldarmybaseandconverteditintosomethingshecalleda

KitchenIncubator .Thiswasalicensedprocessingfacilitywherestart-upentrepreneurscouldrenttheuseofovensorbottlingequipmenttoproducetheircreativefoodproducts.Lightbulbswentoffinmyhead:insteadofstrugglingtohelpeachentrepreneurraisealotofmoney,wecouldsetupaKitchenIncubatorthatcouldhelphundredsofentrepreneursmanufactureproductswithvirtuallynostart-upcosts!

Overthenext3years,weconveneddozensof jointdesignsessionstohelpusdevelopeveryaspectofthefacility,fromthekindsofequipmenttotheuseofspace.Eachdesigngroupmetonlyafewtimes.Eachwascomposedofauniquesetoffarmers,entrepreneursand

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 2/15

Importance of diversity in projectsand network

Importance of informal time tobuild relationships

resourcepeoplewithneeds,passionsand/orknowhowtargetedatonespecificissue.Theequipmentdesigngroup,forexample,includedstafffromTheOhioStateUniversityFoodScience

DepartmentandtheheadofOhioUniversityFoodService,whiletheIncubatorServicesgroupincludedthemanagerofthelocalgrocerystorewhosharedinformationaboutsellingproductsathisstore.Inadditiontotheirdesignfunctions,wesawthesesessionsaspowerfulnetworkweaving opportunities:duringbreaksweencouragedfarmerstodiscusssellingtheirproducetoOhioUniversityandthegrocerychain,andtheseinitialrelationshipsopenedthedoorformanyfutureopportunities.

SothenetworkACEnetnurtured,fromthebeginning:

  builtontheopportunitiesrepresentedbyexistingfarmer/entrepreneursandtheirdesiretodomore

  reachedouttoinnovatorsfromotherpartsofthecountrytogetinspirationandbreakthroughideas

  wovethenetworkbyengagingpeopleinself-organizeddesigngroupsandencouragingthemtoexplorecommoninterests

Questions

1.Howcantheinitiativesundertakengrowfromopportunitiesweseeratherthanfrom

problemsweencounter?

2.Howcanwebemoreopentoinnovators?Howcanwefindinnovatorswhohaveideas

thatcanhelpusmakebreakthrough?

3.Howcanwebuildnetworksthroughsmallencountersthathelppeoplegettoknoweachother,identifycommoninterestsandbuildtrust?

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 3/15

Importance of long-term,changingrelationships

Role of NetworkWeaver: referringto others

BeRhizomatic!Oncecompleted,theFoodVenturesCenterenabledhundredsofindividuals–manyofthemlow-resourced–

tostartsuccessfulfoodprocessingbusinesses.Unlikemanymicroenterprisetrainingprograms,however,theACEnetstafffelttheywerenottrainingtheentrepreneurssomuchasdevelopingafulllifecyclerelationshipwiththem,continuallychangingservices

providedtoenabletinystart-upstocontinuetoexpandthroughouttheyears–andbecomingpeersandpartnersonanongoingstreamofcollaborativeprojects.Inaddition,staffactedmoreasNetworkWeavers--

connectingentrepreneurstootherentrepreneursandtoresourcepeople--thanastrainers.Ifapersonneededhelpwiththerecipefortheirproduct,staffwereaslikelytoreferthemtoMattRappocelli,abakerand“foodartist”whovolunteeredhistimetohelppeopleimprovethequalityoftheirproducts.Iftheywantedtobuyjarsfortheirsalsa,staffconnectedthemtoCraigCornett,theownerofFrogRanchSalsa,whoorderedjarsbythetruckloadandresoldthemtonewbiesforasmallmark-up.

Theimagethatfitsthistypeofentrepreneurshipdevelopmentisthatofahugechunkofginger.Gingerisarhizome;thatis,ithasundergroundrootsthatsproutmanyadditionalroots.Eachrootbudhasthenutrientstocreatemanyotherbuds,andthosebudsthenhelpevenmorebudssprout.Iftheoriginalbuddiesforsomereason,thenewlysproutedrootbudswillcontinuetosurviveandflourish.Inthesameway,ACEnetandtheFoodVenturesCentersproutedmanybuds,

whichinturn,createdmanymoresproutsthroughouttheregion.Thisamplifiedtheimpactof

ACEnet–arelativelysmallorganization–manytimesover.

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 4/15

Each

organization helpsothers or createsmore in some way

Everyone takes

initiative to startnew projects

Networkeveryone you workwith & encourage

them to network

ACEnetspentfivemonthsin1985helpingasmallgroupformCasaNueva,aworker-ownedMexicanrestaurant.Becausethebusinesswasownedbyallwhoworkedthere,eachworker/ownerhadtolearntoreadfinancial

statementandmanytookaturnatmanagingsomeaspectofrestaurantoperations.Inasense,worker/ownersreceivedtheequivalentofanMBAonthejob,andnotsurprisinglyasubstantialofthem–almost3dozenatlastcount–wentontostartbusinessesoftheirown.Myfavoritenetworkingspot--VillageBakeryandCafé–wasoneofthosegingerrootsproutsstartedbytwoformerCasaworker/owners.OnceVillageBakerywassuccessfullyunderway,they

startedapizzaplacenextdoortothecafé,thenstartedsellingtheproductsofdozensoflocalbusinessesintheirrestaurant.Recently,theyhelpedinitiatetheStapleFoodsCollaborativewhichisconvincinglocalfarmerstogrowheirloomcornandbeanstoselltolocalrestaurants.Threemorebudsaresproutingfromthecaféroot!Thiskindofviralimpactcanmakeahugedifferenceinacommunity’seconomy.

Questions

1.Howcaneverythingyoudocreatesomethingthatcontinuestocontributetothe

community?

2.Howcanyourorganizationbecomemorerhizomatic?Howcantheindividuals,

organizationsandprojectsitworkswithbecomemorerhizomatic?

NetworksAmongandBetween

Meanwhile,thepowerofbuildingnetworksamongbusinesseswasrevealedwhenasetofarearestaurants–anumberofthemownedbyformerCasaworker-ownerswhostayedintouch–formedtheAthensIndependentRestaurantOwnersAssociation.CasaNuevawasfirmlycommittedtobuildingalocalfoodeconomyandpurchasedmostoftheirrawmaterials

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 5/15

Encouragepeople to influencetheir networks

Self-organizedcollaborativeactivities get larger 

& more complex

fromlocalfarmers.So,notsurprisinglytheyconvincedothersintheassociationtoincreasetheirpurchasesoflocallygrownitemsandintroducedthemtoareatruckfarmers.Thismulti-milliondollardemandcreatedasubstantialnewopportunityandsomeofthecommunity

gardenersbecameentrepreneur/farmers.Moresprouts.Theassociationalsobegantoworkcloselywiththetourismbureau,concoctingastringofnewcelebrationsforthedowntown.OneofthesewasOhioBrewWeek,wheremicrobreweriesfromalloverthestatebroughttheirwarestoAthens.RestaurantsviedforprizesfordelectabledishedmadefromthebeersandmadesmallfortunessellingBrewWeekT-shirtsandothermemorabilia.It’sinterestingtonotethattheassociation

alsomadesurethatsmallvendorssellingfoodandlocallymadejewelryandcrafts,openingopportunitiesforbuddingentrepreneurstotryoutabusinesswithlowriskandinsomecaseshighreward.And,inaddition,thisrecurringeventhasbasicallyjump-startedamicrobrewsectorinthesoutheasternpartofthestate.Moresproutslikelytocreatemoresprouts.

Questions

1.Howcanwecreatenetworksamongsetsoforganizationsorbusinesses?

2.Howcanorganizationsbegintoworkwithothersinwaysthatcreatenew

opportunitiesforthem,forthecommunitiesandforthoselessfortunate?

ComparingNetworksandOrganizationalLensesMostorganizationsareliketrees.Theycangrowverylargebuttheyarealsovulnerable–oncetheyarechoppeddown,that’sit.They’regone.Contrastthistoabambooforest.Eachbamboocangrowlarger,buttheinterestingthingisthatifyoufeedonebamboosomeextrafertilizer,thehugenetworkofrhizomesthatconnectall

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 6/15

Help everyonebecome NetworkWeavers

Healthynetworks supportthe flow of resources

theplantsinthatforestwillcartsomeofthatnutrientofftootherplants.And,ifoneofthebambooischoppeddown,nutrientsfromthenetworkwillbeavailablesothatanothersproutcanformtofillthatvacuum.Nowthenetwork

ofbamboodon’tallgettogetherforameetingtodecidehowtoshare.Theflow,thestructureofthenetworkissuchthatitsupportsthedistributionofresources.Solet’stalkaboutthestructureofnetworks.

NetworkWeavers

Thesecretsauce,thesecretstructureofnetworksthatmakesthemworksowell,istheroleofNetworkWeaver.ANetworkWeaverisapersonwhotakesresponsibilityformakingnetworkswork.ThefirstmisunderstandingthatpeoplehaveaboutNetworkWeaversisthatit’sajob.Ithinkit’sarealmistaketohireaNetworkWeaver–IthinkourgoaloughttobetohelpeveryonebecomeaNetworkWeaver.LotsofpeoplearenaturalNetworkWeaversandwhentheytaketheNetworkWeaverChecklist,theygetveryexcitedandfeeltremendouslyvalidated.And,theywanttolearnmoreandbuildtheirskillsatNetworkWeaving–andweneedtofindwaystosupportthat.Asafield,peopleintonetworkapproachesarejuststartingtorealizethatthetermNetworkWeaverisanumbrellaterm,andcontainsanumberofdifferentsub-

roles.TheseareConnector,ProjectCoordinator,NetworkGuardianandNetworkFacilitator(seechartonfollowingpage).

Thefirstistheonethatmakessensegiventheword‘weaver’inthetitle:NetworkWeaversconnectpeople.

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 7/15

NetworkWeavers listen andfind out gifts &

challenges

CreateNetworking Hubs

Connect peopleto resources sothey can do more

NetworkWeaversasConnectors

NetworkWeaversseetwopeopleinaroomandtheyimmediatelystartthinking,“Whatdothesefolkshaveincommon?”Well,theycanonlyknowtheanswerifthey’vehadtimetolistentoboththeindividualsandfindouttheirgiftandneedsandchallenges.Soit’simportantthatwemakesurepeoplehavetimeintheirbusyschedulestolistentopeople.

NetworkWeaversmayjustsetupsituationswherepeoplecanconnectontheirown,informally.Thismaybeatinformaldinners,ormakingsurethatmeetingshavelongbreakssopeoplecantalktoeachotherlongenoughtogettoknowwhattheyhaveincommon.Or,NetworkWeaversoftenbuildupNetworkingHubs–placessuchastheFoodVenturesCenterorVillageBakery–wherepeoplenaturallycongregate.NetworkWeaverswillhangoutatsuchplacesandmodelweaving

behavior–relentlesslytalkingtopeoplewhocomeinandintroducingthemtoothersaroundsomespecificinterest.NetworkWeaversalsoconnectpeopletoresources:peoplewithspecialskillsorexpertiseorcapital.Bydoingthis,theyopennewopportunitiesforpeople:

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 8/15

Encouragepeople to shareand help others

Self-organization:everyone initiatingcollaborative action

Self-organizedprojects initiallysmall

farmersbecomeprocessors,andrestaurantsbecomemanufacturers.Andfinally,NetworkWeaversaskpeopletohelpout.Theyknowthatmostpeoplelovetoshareaskilloraride

orwhateverwithsomeoneelse–NetworkWeaversjustsuggestaconcretesituationwheretheirhelpisneeded.TheparticularwaythatNetworkWeaversdoallthisconnecting–pointingouttheimportanceofgivingbackwhenyouget–createsthatdensematofresourcesunderlyingthebambooforest,anetworkwheretheresourcesoneneedstotakethenextstepareonlyarelationshiportwoawayandareprimedtomoveyourway.

NetworkWeaversandself-organizingnetworksAlotofpeopleareconveninglargegroupsofpeoplewhocareaboutthesamething–housing,greenjobs,etc–andformingaNetwork.MyexperienceisthatyouhavetobeverycarefulaboutthisstructuringofnetworksasmanyformallyorganizedNetworksI’veseendevolveintoyetanotherorganizationwithlotsofoverheadandthekindofconfusionaboutdecision-

makingthatmakesthemanythingbutquickactingandinnovative.Theyareveryeffectiveinsomesituations(seediscussionandcasestudiesinNetworkWeaverHandbook).Anotherwaytolookatthestructureofnetworksistomakevisibleanotherinvisiblepartofthenetwork,whichisitscapacitytoself-organize.Self-organizationoccurswhenapersonorsetofpeople(sometimesaverylargeset)seesomethingthattheythinkcouldmakea

difference,andbecausetheyareembeddedinthisvastbambooforestnetwork,areabletopulltogetherthe

resourcestomakesomethinghappen.It’softensomethingshort-termandexperimental–testingthewaterssotospeak.Andafterthatsomethinghappenspeopletaketimetoreflectandexaminewhattheydidandfigureoutwhyitworked(orinmanycaseswhyitdidn’twork).

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 9/15

Twosies are thefoundation of healthynetworks

Network Weaverssupport others intheir efforts to self-

organize

Network Weaversspread the wordabout successes

InAppalachianOhio,therearethousandsandthousandsofself-organizedactionseveryyearandithasledtothecreationofawonderfulcommunity.Butbeforewegothroughexamplesofthisself-organizingaction,it’s

essentialtostressthecriticalroleoftheNetworkWeaverasProjectCoordinatorandCatalystofSelf-organizationinmakingtheshiftincultureandbehaviorthatenablesself-organizingtotakeoffandtransformcommunities.NetworkWeaverasCatalystofSelf-Organization

NetworkWeaversarecontinuallyencouragingpeopletoformwhatIcalltwosies–justtwopeopledecidingtodo

something,usuallyverysmall,together.Forexample,aNetworkWeavernoticedtwoentrepreneurswhowerebothtruckingtheirhomegrownproductstomarketsanhourandahalfawayandsuggestedthattheymightconsidertakingturnsondeliveriessoeachcouldspendmoretimemakingproduct.Thisworkedoutwell,buttheNetworkWeaverdidn’tstopthere.Shethensuggestedthatthetwoweredoingsowellthattheymightconsiderstartingadistributionbusinessandtakingotherfarmer/entrepreneurs’productstodistantmarkets.NetworkWeaversarecontinuallylookingfor

waystomakeself-organizedactionsrhizomatic–helpingpeopleconvertsimpleactions,whentheywork,intoresourcesforthelargernetwork.JointProjectCoordinators

CraigCornettorganizedafirsttruckloadofjars,countingontheordersofotherbusinessessuchasCasaNuevatomakethedealwork.Afterseveralsuccesses,ACEnetNetworkWeaversspreadthewordofthesuccessofthis

jointpurchasingthroughoutthenetworkofentrepreneursandothersquicklyorganizedlargeordersforhoney,vinegarandsoforth.Soonthereweredozensoforderinggroups–allloweringthecostofrawmaterialsforstart-upentrepreneursbymorethan2/3rds.

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 10/15

Projectcoordinators helplarge system

structures form

NWs encourageand coach others tobecome Project

Coordinators

See NWHandbook for simpleworksheets &

websites

NetworkWeaversalsohelpfacilitatetheformationofmoreformalNetworks,suchastherestaurantassociation.Andtheyfacilitatetheformationoflargersystemstructures,suchastheregionalbrand,FoodWeLove,thatenabled100sofbusinessestogettheir

productplacedontheshelvesofregionalstoresmuchsoonerthanwouldhaveotherwisebeenpossible.Anewlymintedentrepreneurwhomadeabatchofseveraldozenjarsofdelightfulhomemadevanillawasabletotakeherfirstbatchtoalargegrocerychain,simplysayingthatshewaspartoftheFoodWeLovebrand.ThatdayherproductwasplacedintheLocalFoodAislewhereitfoundaquickandreceptiveaudience.Thisenabledhertogrowherbusinessataratethatwouldn’thavebeenpossiblewithouttheopportunitythatthe

brandcreated.FromProjectCoordinatortoCoachofProjectCoordinators

GenerallyNetworkWeaverscatalyzetheself-organizingprocessbycoordinatingseveraljointactionsthemselves,playingtherolewecallProjectCoordinator.Butthepracticeofself-organizingwillspreadveryquicklyiftheNetworkWeaversexplicitlymodelandtrainandcoachothersintheskillsandprocessesneededtoleadaneffectivejointproject.And,atsomepoint,theseself-

organizedgroupsbegintomanagethemselvesasagroupwithleadershipbyall.However,whenself-organizedprojectsincludepeoplefromdifferentorganizations,it’shardtodevelopaccountabilityandcommunication.Simpleprojectmanagementworksheetsandwebsitescanmakebothaccountabilityandcommunicationtransparent.Spendingthetimetoshowpeopleinsmallprojectshowtouseweb-basedplatformscandramaticallyincrease

thesuccessfulimplementationofjointactions.

NetworkGuardians,BuildingSystemsofSupportAkeytoregionaltransformationiswhennetworksof

socialenterprises(whichcanbenon-profits,for-profits,governmentagencies,associationsandfoundationswhoarecommittedtobuildingeffectivenetworks)beginto

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 11/15

NetworkGuardians build

support for network

NetworkGuardians set upNW training &Community of 

Practice

NetworkGuardians help setup good

communications

Innovation Funds

are great toencourage self-

organizing

takeresponsibilityfordevelopingnetworkstructuresandprocesses.WhentheyplaythisroletheyareactingasNetworkGuardians–thosewhostandbackandnoticethepatternsandroadblocksofthenetworkasawhole.AsNetworkGuardians,theyoftentake

responsibilityfordevelopingsomeaspectofthesystemofsupportthateffectivenetworksrequire.TheseincludedevelopmentofNetworkWeavers.OftenthisprocessstartsbyprovidingsometrainingtopeoplewhoseethemselvesasNetworkWeaversandwanttolearnmore.However,thisismosteffectivelydonecombinedwithactualpracticeinNetworkWeaverwithfeedbackbycoach.Ifthisclinicapproachisdoneinapeergroupsetting,thenthegroupquicklyevolvesintoa

CommunityofPracticecapableofprovidingpeersupportforallthoseinvolvedandorganizingmorein-depthtraining.Thistypeoftraining/coachingoccurredseveraltimesinAppalachianOhio,thoughaformalCommunityofPracticewasnotdeveloped.Anotherexampleofanetworkstructureisthenetwork’scommunicationsystem.Themoreopportunitiesthatarecreatedforinteraction,engagementandself-organizing,themorethenetworkwilltakeoff.Increasedcommunicationcanhappenbywordofmouthwhen

peopleinthenetworkarewell-connected,throughgroupemailsandmobilizingtheFoodVentureCenterasanetworkinghub,orthenetworkcanmakeuseofthewonderfulproliferationofWeb2.0/socialmediaplatformsthatcansupporteveryaspectofnetworkbuilding.Thethirdkeylegofthenetworksupportstoolistore-structurefundingstreamssothattheysupportself-organizingnotjustorganizations.Ajointprojectinthe

AppalachianareasetupanInnovationFundthatprovidesquickaccesstosmallseedfundsforinnovative,exploratoryprojectsthatinvolvedsomecombinationofentrepreneurs,areanon-profitsandothersupportorganizations.Projectsthatweresuccesseswerethengivenassistancetofindsufficientfundsforfullimplementation.

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 12/15

OpportunityAreas help focusenergy

OpportunityAreas provide real-life training in

leadership skills

With focus, self-organized activitiesbuild on each other 

OpportunityAreasAnotherwaythatNetworkGuardianssupportnetwork

developmentisbycatalyzingOpportunityAreas.OpportunityAreasarewaystofocusenergyonalargerscalethanasingleself-organizedprojectbutprovidemoreconcretenessandbuildingpowerthanfocusinggenericallyonaregionorlargeissue.Focusingontheopportunitiesinclusterssuchaslocalfoodsorgreenjobsinanexample.Focusingonneighborhoodsorsmallcommunitiesisanother.Andfinally,allthesupportneededbytheprimarymoversandshakers(inthiscasethefoodentrepreneurs)suchasaccesstocapital,access

tobusinessassistance,accesstomarkets,accesstojobtraining,andrecreatingpolicyprocessesneedstobedeveloped.AlbanyOhio,adyingvillageofafewhundred,sawitsOpportunityAreaasthepawpaw,alocalwildfruit.Everyyear,thevillagepartnerswithothersaroundtheregiontostagethedearlybelovedPawpawFestival.Organizingthisfestivalwasahighlyeffectivewayofbuildingtheskillsofmanypeopleinthevillagewhousedthoseskillstoregeneratethevillageandstartbusinesses.In

addition,thefestivalgeneratedanendlessstreamofrhizomaticself-organizinginitiatives.Forexample,thefestivalhadacontesttoselectthebesttastingpawpaws–whichencouragedareapeopletothinkaboutupgradingtheplantsoftheirland.Superiorspecieswereofferedforsaleatthefestivalsothatmoreproductwasavailabletomeetthedemand.Thedemandwascreatedbysmallmanufacturesinthearea,whowereencouragedtodevelopinnovativepawpawproductsbyanothercontestatthefestival.Productssuchaspaw

pawchutney,pawpawicecreamandpawpawmicrobrewbecamepartofbusinesses’expandedproductlinesasaresultofwinsforthoseproductsatthefestival.By2004,therewasawell-developedfoodeconomyintheregion–butwhatabouttherestoftheeconomy?Fortransformationtooccur,communitiesneedboth

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 13/15

Network Hubsenable people fromdifferent sectors to

meet

Innovation Fundsencourage people tocollaborate

focus–whichwedescribedinthelastsection–andexpansiveness.AnexampleofthisexpansivenessoccurredinNelsonville,whichin2004wasaformercoalminingtownwithgorgeousVictorianstorefronts–thatwerealmostallemptyandboardedup.Onebrave

coupledecidedtobuildonthehundred-yearhistoryofbrickmakingintheregionbyopeningagalleryforartistsworkinginclay.SoonthewifeofoneoftheownersofaninternationalbusinesslocatedinthetowndecidedtoopenacoffeeshopwhichquicklybecameamajornetworkhubespeciallyforstafffromnearbyHockingCollege,especiallytheirsuperNetworkWeaverPaulHarper–andtheownersofStarbrickClay,thegallery.Somehow,throughinteractionsbetweenthesefolksandothers,thecaféownermadeanofferthatanyartor

craftrelatedbusinessthatwantedtolocateinthesquarewouldgetayearofsubsidizedrent.Asbusinessmovedin,HockingCollege’sculinaryartsprogramopenedagourmetrestaurant,andtheregionalfoundationmovedindownthestreet.Afterlessthantwoyears,mostofthestorefrontswerefilledwithdelightfulstoresrangingfromado-it-yourselfpotteryshoptoaquiltingstore.Buthowtogetthemtoworktogether?AsmallcollaborationcalledAORIC,whichincludedthefoundation,decidedtosetupan

InnovationFundof$15,000thatgaveoutseveraldozensmallgrantsoverthenexttwoyears.OneofthosehelpedthebusinessesstartFinalFridays–acelebrationthelastFridayofeachmonthtogetpeopletocometovisitthelocalshops.OneimportantrhizomaticfeatureofFinalFridayswasthatitprovidedverylow-costvendingspaceforlocalentrepreneurs–andmanylow-incomeresidentswereabletosupplementtheirincomefromthemoneytheyearnedonthisoneevening.Anotherhelped25ofthebusinessesdesignandproduce

awalkingtourguidethatwasdistributedtoareaBedandBreakfastsandregionaltourismbureaus.Stillthegroupofbusinesseswasnotabletoconvincethelocalcitycounciltosupporttheirmarketingefforts.Thecouncilwashavingahardtimegivinguptheirdreamofluringamanufacturingplanttotheareaandwasn’tconvincedthatartwasrealeconomicdevelopment.

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 14/15

Brining in peoplefrom the outsidebrings in new ideas

& credibility

Your strategicfocus can expand

Learning clustersare a great way tointroduce thebenefits of social

media

Learning Clustersenable people to“steal” new ideasfrom each other 

Serendipitously,ACEnetwaspartofanationallearningclusterthatconsistedofsomeofthemostinnovativeandsuccessfulartisan,tourismandfoodsectorprojectsinthecountry.WebroughtthesegroupstoNelsonvilleforatrainingprogram,butinvitedthecitycouncilto

hearstoriesofthesuccessesandimpactsofthegroups.SeveralweekslaterthecouncilagreedtosupportmarketingeffortsoftheNelsonvilleSquare.TheSquareisnowawonderfulsuccess–givingpridetotheregion,incometotheentrepreneursandtaxrevenuestothecity.

NationalLearningClusters

LookingatthesuccessoftheNelsonvilleinitiative,we

realizeditrepresentedanewbreakthroughintheformofametacluster–sincefoodbusinessesworkedwithartisanbusinesses,retailstores,tourismbureausaswellaswithlocalgovernmentandeducationalinstitutions.WecalledthemetaclusterstrategyRegionalFlavor,andwiththesupportoftheKelloggFoundation,selected6organizationsalreadyexperimentinginthesamedomain,andformedalearningcluster.Withthiscluster,weexperimentedwithusingning.com–acustomizablesocialnetworkingsite–fornetwork

conversations.Wecoachedthegroups,helpingthemloaduppicturesandcompleteapersonalprofile.Weputdocumentsandmeetingminutesonthesite,andthegroupspopulateditwithphotosoftheirprojectsandourjointmeetings.Afterawhileseveralofthegroupssetupningsitesfortheirregionalprojectsaswell.Theprojectsexploredultrainnovativestrategies.TheArkansasDeltaprojectdevelopedaregionalbrand–butthenletcommunitiesandbirdingtrailsandmusic

festivalsdeveloptheirownversionofthebrand,riffingoffthemainbrandincharmingvariety.Thespeedwith

whichsuccessesofoneprojectflowedintotheotherswasastounding.ArkansastooktheideaoftheKitchenIncubatorfromACEnetcombineditwiththeRegionalFlavorconceptandstartedaRegionalFlavorIncubatorthat,inadditiontofoodprocessors,wouldsupportbusinessessuchasacanoeliveryandaperiod

8/8/2019 Networks, Organizing, Breakthroughs and Scale[1]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/networks-organizing-breakthroughs-and-scale1 15/15

Learning Clustersenable people toshare ideas with amuch larger network

renovationoperation.ThenetworkfromtheLakeErieGraperegioncapturedtheideaofaregionalbrandfromArkansas.TheColoradoregionsnatchedtheideaofbecomingaheritageareafromthegraperegionandNelsonvillelearnedhow(andsuccessfullyapplied)to

becomeaMainStreetprojectfromArkansas.ThemostexcitingrhizomaticfeatureofthislearningclustercamewhenthegroupdecidedtheirnextstepwouldbetotakeRegionalFlavorontheroad,sharingtheconceptandpracticeinDiscoverySessionsaroundthecountry.ThefirstpilotDiscoverysessionwasheldinNorthCentralMinnesotawherefiveofthegroupssharedkeysuccessesandhowtoswiththesixthgroup–WhiteEarthReservation–thatwantedtoexpandtheir

networktoincludenon-nativegroups.Morethan75people–mostofwhichhadneverworkedtogetherbefore–spentadayhearingfromtheRegionalFlavorProjectsandthen,aftergoingthroughtheOpportunityProcess,workinginactiongroupstogetthenew,expandedinitiativemovingforward.FormoreinformationcontactJuneHolleyjune@networkweaving.com

www.networkweaver.comwww.networkweaving.com