What+constitutes+network+health?


 * //What constitutes network health?//**

What does a healthy network look like? It’s a very subjective concept, just as the meaning of ‘healthy’ differs for people depending on age, gender, etc. However, just as with people, there is some consensus around what healthy tends to be, and conversely, what unhealthy looks like for networks. The characteristics below capture eight commonly cited areas of network health and their corresponding attributes. These characteristics will differ in priority and relevance, depending on network type (e.g. networks for building knowledge versus networks for weaving communities) and the stage a network is at in its life cycle.

· Delivers value to participants || · Participants have a code of conduct (formal or informal) · High voluntary engagement · New participants can quickly become productive in the network · Participants regularly interact with one another without going through a central hub || · Network spaces invite self-organized action || · Participants assume leadership through action – a ‘do-acracy’ · Leaders embrace transparency and decentralization · Many leaders are ‘network weavers’ -- people who are dedicated to making and strengthening connections throughout the network || · Governance is transparent || · Ample shared space, online and in-person, allowing participants to easily connect || · Effective model for financial sustainability in place || · Network has a clearly articulated desired impact and a set of metrics to measure that impact ||
 * **CHARACTERISTIC** || **DESIRED ATTRIBUTES** ||
 * **#1 Value** || · Clearly articulated gives and gets for participants
 * **#2 Participation** || · High level of trust and reciprocity among participants
 * **#3 Form** || · Balance of top-down (centralized) and bottom-up (participant led) strategies for doing the work of the network
 * **#4 Leadership** || · Responsibility and control is spread throughout the network
 * **#5 Governance** || · Governance reflects the diversity of the network
 * **#6 Connection** || · Lots of strong connections. If some highly connected participants leave, the network is still well-connected
 * **#7 Capacity** || · Participants can access resources in the network—knowledge, skills, capacity
 * **#8 Learning and Adaptation** || · Network gathers feedback, and captures learning as stories

For a deeper dive, take a look at our Healthy Network Diagnostic tools, which links these characteristics of network health with potential actions you might take to strengthen the network.