What network stage is your community?
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Transcript of What network stage is your community?
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What network stage is your community?
based on
Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving
by Valdis Krebs and June Holley
September 2009
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Communities can be viewed as networks
Any collection of people can be seen as a network That network is made up of people, who know each other, and interact The more connections and interactions between people the greater
that community’s productivity, cohesiveness, and resilience. Communities as networks typically evolve and devolve in predictable
ways Looking at your community as an evolving network can give you ideas
for how to make improvements
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Communities evolve in predictable ways
Fragments Single-Hub Multi-Hub Core/Periphery
Communities often evolve along predictable pathways from fragmented clusters of people interested in a concept, to a single hub-and-spoke when a leader pulls the clusters together, to multiple hubs where a variety of people take responsibility, and finally to a core/periphery with a tight ball of members surrounded by interested hangers on.
So what does each stage look like and how can you improve your community?
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Stage One: Fragments
What it looks like:
Characteristics: Small – clusters of 1-5 people or
organizations
Isolated – no connections between clusters
Shared interests and goals poorly articulated
Source: Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving by Valdis Krebs and June Holley
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Stage One: Fragments
Key Goal: To make a case to foster a networked
community versus another approach (Note: some goals simply don’t require / benefit from network structures)
What to do: Identify what about networks makes this
structure a good idea (e.g. rapid growth, rapid diffusion, ‘small world’ reach, resilience, adaptive capacity)
Identify prospective value of a network for those to join it – is it access to connections, knowledge, competencies, or resources etc?
Draw up criteria to identify initial network members – such as commitment, expertise, competence, connections, collaborative capacity, good citizenship
Actively weave clusters by identifying fragments and finding an active leader to make the connections
What tools to use: Run surveys Interviews / Focus groups Conduct a search for key documents created
by people in these fragments to source ideas Hire a network weaver(s) Conduct Social Network Mapping (also called
Social Network Analysis) to identify the clusters
What to watch for: Little or no information flow between clusters Little or no collaboration between clusters Unlikely connections between clusters to
happen spontaneously
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Stage Two: Single Hub-and-Spoke
What it looks like: Characteristics: Single hub (a community leader) Clusters are connected into a networked
community for the first time Generally temporary – either fails or
quickly transforms into next stage
Source: Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving by Valdis Krebs and June Holley
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Stage Two: Single Hub-and-Spoke
Key Goal: Connect people to allow easy flow of
and access to information and transactions
What to do: Bridge the divides - connect individuals
and clusters that have common goals/interests or complementary skills/experiences
Identify and mentor natural weavers in the community to take over network building and maintenance tasks
Test prospective value proposition for the network and capture emerging articulations
What tools to use: Create a directory of members Create an information clearing houses Set-up Email listserves Develop newsletters Conduct SNA to reveal progress and
identify emerging network weavers Conduct training in network building
What to watch for: A weak network as everything is
dependent on a single hub (the leader) Concentration of power in the leader Information bottlenecks at the hub Lots of questions!
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Stage Three: Multi-Hub
What it looks like: Characteristics: Multiple-hubs (besides the initial leader) New network leaders emerging Weak ties between clusters emerge and
are important for fostering innovation as new ideas are discovered outside local groups
Key hubs start to work on what goals and objectives should be for the network and how to achieve them
Consensus on network value proposition(s) emerging
Governance of the network starts to be on the agenda
Source: Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving by Valdis Krebs and June Holley
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Key Goal: Start aligning people to develop and
spread and identify the collective value proposition
What to do: Focus and define the network value
proposition - look for what all people can do for each other, not just what’s in it for you
Connect hubs to one another as it shortens path length of information flow
Turn weak ties between people in each hub into strong ties – build trust through increase bandwidth and reciprocity
Start building the edge – seek out groups that are both similar and different, as similarity builds trust and diversity introduces new ideas and perspectives
Stage Three: Multi-Hub
What tools to use: Conduct face to face meetings –
important to build trust and help articulate identity and value of network
Use facilitated meetings – to reduce conflict and increase engagement
Conduct SNA to review the structure of your network and evaluate progress
Watch out for: Hubs may battle over turf and control
and remain isolated from one another Major hubs can fail weakening the
overall network Governance structure/membership and
source of funding do not necessarily equate - recognize ‘distributed authority’
Just like in a traditional organizations, governance and management are not the same for networks
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What it looks like:
Stage Four: Core/Periphery
Characteristics: Emerges after numerous years of work
Stable structure linked to other well-developed networks
Core contains key community members with strong ties to one another
Periphery includes new members, bridges to diverse communities, unique resources that operate outside of the community
Source: Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving by Valdis Krebs and June Holley
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Key Goal: Foster joint action for specialized
outcomes by aligned people
What to do: Look beyond information sharing and
towards joint production of value – what are the ‘win-win’ opportunities? Could include: goods and services, policy advocacy, innovation, learning, building capacity, mobilizing citizens etc.
Assess competencies of the network members – are the right people in the mix to get the job done, do we need others to join us?
Establish production and management plans – reach an agreement
Make sure the network form follows the network function – there is no single best structure, only the one that serves your purpose
Keep maintaining your network Build bridges to other networks
Stage Four: Core/Periphery
What tools to use: Make Production Agreements – i.e. who
does what by when and how Codify governance (when appropriate) Conduct SNA to monitor your network
What to watch for: Overly dense cores can lead to rigidity
and overload of activity
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Resources
For more information on understanding networked communities go to:
Building Smart Communities Through Network Weaving An introduction to the basics on networks, how they evolve, and how they can be shaped for social impact—illustrated through a case study. (By Valdis Krebs and June Holley in 2006.)
Net Gains: A Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change A handbook covering the basics on networks –including their common attributes, how to leverage networks for social impact, evaluating networks, and social network analysis. (By Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor in 2006.)
Boston Green and Healthy Buildings Network A case study describing a Barr Foundation sponsored endeavor to weave a network among 10 Boston nonprofits, highlighting the challenges and lessons learned. (By Beth Tener, Al Nierenberg, and Bruce Hoppe in 2008.)
The Networked Nonprofit An article about how nonprofit leaders are achieving greater impact by working through networks. Includes detailed examples. (By Jane Wei-Skillern and Sonia Marciano in 2008.)
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