4-5+Convening+--+Why+We+Care

===//In this session, each participant shared a visual that represents why he / she cares about networks. The ensuing discussion revolved around the "Why?" and "So What?" of using a network approach. //=== media type="custom" key="9006420"Graphic recording by Lynn Carruthers. Download file on SlideShare to view in higher resolution.

//**Additional discussion:**//

//There's an urgency that drives us to pursue networked approaches: //
 * We're in a race: The problems we have are getting more urgent and more complex, faster than our ability to address them. Networks are one of our great hopes.
 * Meanwhile, our ability to solve these problems may be limited by inability to think outside the traditional, dominant paradigm... “Instead of thinking of the airplane model we’re still thinking of ships with wings.”
 * We need to step out of our own field and jargon and recognize that “networks” are happening all around us; we need to become more porous to allow the principles and tools that have become part of the mainstream conversation influence our practice.

//There's incredible power in networks://
 * The success of Rosa Parks is not only an exemplary case of individual bravery and smart legal strategy, but also of the power of individuals to engage together in sustained action to bring about real change. Rosa Parks stood with tens of people to make that commitment.
 * Like iPods, effective networks have incredible power to hold a lot of information (complexity) with great elegance (simplicity).
 * Strong networks have the potential to break through barriers.
 * Magnets may be a metaphor for the network approach. Magnets are governed by a force that’s pulling / focusing / aligning disparate pieces together. Similarly, people want to be connected, and that relationships are a core of civil society.
 * It often takes a catalyst – e.g., a catastrophe, or somebody with a bird’s eye view of the system and / or with money – to jump into a situation and act as a magnet to help weave the network (e.g., to convene, host webinars, and close triangles). It’s not always an organic process.
 * There was some concern about the idea of philanthropy as the magnet that pulls people together or the glue that keeps them there, particularly in light of counterexamples like recent Middle East revolts in which coordinated action was catalyzed by an event, or a series of events (vs. one person or institution). We’re trying to make philanthropy a “ship with wings” (i.e., sticking to the dominant paradigm), and that’s not going to work. As funders, we will not be able to control / contain the way in which networks progress.
 * The institutions of which we're a part are products of the environment. The strength of the connections and relationships between us can influence that environment, pushing our institutions toward working with a networked mindset.
 * People can find deep support from fellow network members, even in the context of loosely connected online networks made up of individuals they’ve never met.
 * Identities are formed through and are embedded in networks. Even weak ties in the periphery of our network can define us.

//What does a network need?//
 * A lot of the work we do is premised on the idea that people can learn from what others do. A big question that’s arising is, //When do people have to learn from their own mistakes?//
 * Moving from discussion to application of systems theory (i.e., operating in a networked way) requires a shift in mindset and a lot of time. A way of learning that’s different from the expert approach is required (e.g., peer-learning).
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">We need to be patient and comfortable with ambiguity as well as able to produce rapid response. The challenge is creating a system that’s able to react to developments in the field, as well as highlight victories in a way that keeps people motivated on slow-moving projects.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Many networked feats are being accomplished without money driving them. In fact, in some cases there’s more connecting and trading because of a lack of resources. In the current financial crisis, we can probably expect that to continue.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">At the same time, we should be weary of adopting “efficiency” or “money-saving” lenses, as this could potentially distract us from some other benefit of the project. Plus many do require financial resources.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Another way to look at the question of efficiency is that there are different types of efficiency: economic, programmatic (scaling), etc.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">The absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence. Just because we cannot prove efficiency does not mean we should not pursue the opportunity. We need to look for opportunities that are outside the traditional frame.

//What's the role / responsibility of the funder?//
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">There are some factors that can be influenced, and others that are out of our control; foundations need to find a balance between trying to influence the network and letting it go.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Funders can take part in the networks they help to weave / support, by playing the role of participant observers (e.g., listening to the network, hosting convening, and expanding the periphery).
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">As funders, we are sometimes idealistic in thinking that we can support / help weave networks without ending up at their center.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Within an organization, operating in a networked way may mean that employees take on roles for which they’re not compensated (e.g., one person is in charge of outreach vs. an outreach strategy that leverages everyone’s personal and professional networks). It may be the case that the foundation will start supporting some personality trait for which people were not compensated for before… this can blur the line between people’s professional and personal self.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Rosa Parks was trained to be a social activist; she was part of a network of people who supported each other and the cause. She received funding for training and other activities, and was able to mobilize when the “moment” presented itself.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Similarly, we need tools to be able to progress in this field in a way that enables us to react to changes in our environment (e.g., financial crises). We’ve just seen such a shift happen in the U.K. with the Big Society Initiative, which aims "to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building a big society that will 'take power away from politicians and give it to people.” It’s amazing what’s happening to the relationship between government and the nonprofit sector as a result.

//Other comments//
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">While there’s debate among the group regarding whether networks are always most efficient, there’s a consensus that a networked approach is instrumental for scaling. It’s faster and cheaper to scale within a network.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">We sometimes take for granted how much we rely on networks to do our day-to-day work.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">We traditionally think in linear terms (e.g., if we fund A, we get B as an outcome). However, in the world of networks, people seem to be intuiting and taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. We should keep this in mind as we try to provide people with tools (e.g., SNA).
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">In speaking to nonprofit leaders about a networked-centric initiative, switching the conversation frame from “networks” to “field building” may make it easier to engage people.

//Ideally, what would be true two years down the road?//
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Organizations are more fluent in the language of networks and are more comfortable working with a network mindset.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Funders start putting the goal (vs. individual organizations) at the center.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Funders let go of some control and share leadership, trusting the network to make decisions while agreeing to “sit at the table” and provide the network with support as the need arises.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">There is a blurring of boundaries between different types of networks and an increase in networks of networks, which cross-state or regional boundaries. We’re starting to see that in the Middle East.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">There is greater recognition by people working in philanthropy that networks are a means to an end.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">The Gestalt has shifted to partnership beyond just the term (i.e., sustained, equitable power dynamic).
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Three years from now, being a funder is just one part of the toolkit, and we begin to think of ourselves as “social change agents.”
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Networks become just another vehicle for philanthropy, and there are methodologies to evaluate which vehicle is most appropriate to invest in.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">There are real, meaningful case studies of partnership between funders and grantees.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">There is a flowering of institutional homes for network weavers, such as fellowships, internships, etc.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Foundations become less central to the networks they fund / help weave.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Nonprofits actively run their own networks and pro-actively seek (and are able to secure) resources from foundations on a need-basis.
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0.1pt 0in;">Funders engage businesses, community leaders, etc., looking beyond the world of foundations and nonprofits.

Go back to April 5-6 Convening Notes