Discusses how networks of change leaders might bring about organizational and societal change.

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Transformative Networking
for Organizational and
Community Change
Ross A. Wirth, Ph.D.
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Networks are the future organization
• 20th century – Society of Organizations
– Clear, formal hierarchy with top-down
direction (stable)
– Chain of command (formal)
• 21st century – Society of Networks
– Transient relationships to bring together
resources for a common purpose
even within organizations (dynamic)
– Circle of influence (informal)
Kanter (2009)
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Online networking – a Paradox
• Internet & social media platforms
enabled people to easily organize
– Yet most online groups focus on building
membership and not collaborative work
• Easy to search for information and locate
experts & others with common interest
– Yet, many change leaders struggle in
isolation without the
benefit of shared knowledge
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Why?? What are the challenges?
• Missing critical pieces:
– Lack of time to keep up with information
overload that continues to grow
• Low relevance & lack of relevant “push”
– Don’t know what we (they) don’t know
• Johari Window, lack of awareness to even look
– Competing Priorities – Disengagement
• Joining implies a commitment to contribute or
• Little value seen in lurking
– “Everything” is
Socially Constructed
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Shift Approach to Demand Side
• Chronic disengagement is a
major barrier to change
– Too often “Helpers” use supply-side approach
(deliver what is thought to be needed) versus
– Approach from the demand-side
(deliver what is regarded as valuable by those in need)
• Community Building needs to be a
Populist Economic Movement,
Not a Political Movement
Traynor & Andors (2005) and Traynor (2007)
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Basis for
Building a Networked Community
• Organic shaping how people meet & interact
• Search for interconnected individuals goals
nested within the collective group goals
• Multi-dimensional reasons for connecting
– Not all connections are for the same reason
– These reasons also change over time!
• Creating relationships based on bi-directional
value exchange
• Freedom to self-organize
– Sufficient infrastructure without constraints

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Network Requirements
• Dynamically morph network to
accommodate changes in
– Membership turnover
• New members discovering the network
• Older members with changing interests
– Evolving interests within the network
• Group goals met or new goals with higher priority
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Theoretical Foundation
• Communities of Practice (KM tool)
– Expertise identification & knowledge sharing
• Social Network Analysis
– Map information diffusion across network
– Identify connectivity gaps
• Large Group Methodologies
– Small group dialogue within large groups
with large group sharing
– Discovery of mental models in use
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Theoretical Foundation, cont.
• New leadership models
– Collective (shared) leadership
– Direction-Alignment-Commitment Model
• Wikinomics
– Grassroots, collective effort that deviates
from traditional exchange-based economics
– Governance protocols with few rules &
self-nominated leadership
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Theoretical Foundation, cont.
• Swarm Intelligence
– Simple decision-making rules that are local,
yet capable of driving collective action
– Sub-optimal, but quick & adaptive to change
• Complexity Science
– Self-organization, emergence
– Tipping point through
self-organization as people
vote with their feet
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Individuals ranked by degree of involvement
Degree of Involvement – not Uniform
LevelofActivity
High engagement
acting as group “owners”
Loosely connected, but
Linked to other networks
Old-guard losing interest or
involved for a specific objective
bringing new insights
Level of engagement
drives role & value delivered
to the network
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Proposed Networking Approach
Purposefully connecting people with
common interests
Supported with minimal infrastructure
to provide encouragement and
just-in-time assistance
Without limiting what might emerge
as a shared vision develops

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Community Building – Essentials
Create Choices
• Competing demands on
time
• Allow opt-out without guilt
• Welcome trial
Multiple entry points
• Smorgasbord of
opportunities
• Small duration projects
• Find common interest
Reason to engage
• Fun, fellowship,
recognition
• Value in convening
(demand-based)
Proactive linking
• Interconnected networks
• Encourage movement
Traynor & Andors (2005) and Traynor (2007)
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Community Building – Governance
• Specific roles, but not permanent
– “Voice” that is not institutionalized
• Provisionality – constantly adapting
• Resonance – Law of Two Feet (from OST)
• Information broadcast
– With “collective history” for newcomers &
efficiency
• Minimum infrastructure without
constraining what might emerge
Traynor & Andors (2005) and Traynor (2007)
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Community Building – 8 Lessons
1. Experiment around problems, not tools
2. Provisionality & Resonance
3. Be realistic with the time it takes
4. Focus on building Trust & Fun
5. Leverage all roles across the network
6. Decentralize Power
7. Influence (but don’t hinder) movement
8. Communicate & leave trail
Scearce, Kasper, & Grant (2009)
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“Membership” in the Future
• Connected, but not obligated
• Part of many, owned by none
• Low-level affiliation
• Flexibility, provisional, informal
Traynor (2007)
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Transformative networking –
if a critical mass of passionate
people were networked,
how might their collective vision
be transformative?
The Potential
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• Change Leadership CoP – online
– Peer-facilitated learning circles
– Knowledge base & collaboration
• Neighborhood strengthening (revitalization)
– Community-level issue (problem) discussion
– Local neighborhood – power of convening
• Idea Incubator
– Exploratory discussions
Potential Demonstration Projects

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• Test the networking and community
building approaches in pilot tests
• Document the process sufficiently that it
can be replicated without over
prescribing the approach that is used.
– Past tests not well documented or
not in a form easy to replicate
Next Steps
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Transformative Networking
for Organizational and
Community Change
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References
• Kanter, R. M. (2009). On Twitter and in the workplace, it’s
power to the connectors. Retrieved from
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/kanter/2009/11/power-to-
the-connectors.html
• Scearce, D., Kasper, G., & Grant, H. M. (2009). Working
wikily 2.0. Retrieved from
http://www.monitorinstitute.com/documents/WorkingWikily
2.0hires.pdf
• Traynor, W. J. (2007). Building community in place:
Limitations and promise. Retrieved from
http://macdc.org/initiatives/Building-Community-in-Place--
Traynor.pdf
• Traynor, W. J., & Andors, J. (2005). Network organizing:
A strategy for building community engagement. NHI
Shelterforce Online, 140. Retrieved from
http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/140/LCW.html