by Patti Anklam
December 28, 2008 at 9:37 am
· Filed under AppGap Tips, Communities, Culture, Networks + Networking
Purpose, structure, style, and value. What I came to learn about how to understand networks came down to these four simple aspects:
- Purpose. I assert that all networks have a purpose, even if it is not yet discovered. If it can be identified and has a name, its purpose can be discerned. (More on Purpose on the Fifth Day.) The purpose drives action and commitment. Loose purpose leads to loose commitments and ultimately a network breakdown. Clear purposeand commitment enable a network to accomplish much more than any one person or part can do alone.
- Structure. I can’t say enough about how understanding the structure of a network provides clues to how it operates and how it can be improved. The tools provided on the Third Day can be used to understand the structure and the patterns within it. Hub and spoke = command and control. Federation = decentralized command and control. Core/periphery = vibrant core with an ever evolving ecosystem of participants.
- Style. The network’s style is in its look and feel, leadership attributes, the emotional resonance of the network’s interactions, its space, place, and pace, its culture. (More on Style on the Eleventh Day.)
- Value. Just as all networks have purpose, they all produce value. That is value for the network itself, for the individuals in it, and often a larger set of beneficiaries. A strong network of nonprofits makes each nonprofit stronger, increases the effectiveness of the people in it and their personal reward for doing good work, and enables the network to reach more people and provide more resources. Business network for the sole purpose of creating more monetary (or monetizable) value.
Use this simple mantra — purpose, structure, style, value — as a guide when you are thinking about creating or joining a network. Can you characterize it? Can you support its purpose? How is it structured? Is leadership held tightly or distributed? Does the language used by those in the network speak to you? Does the network listen to you? What value does the network produce and for whom? Working through these four facets will give you a headstart on making sense of the network, your role in it, and how to engage it.
Recounting:
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