Leadership in Networks Lessons from The RE-AMP Network PRESENTED TO - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Leadership in Networks

Lessons from The RE-AMP Network

PRESENTED TO LEADERSHIP LEARNING COMMUNITY:

Heather McLeod Grant, Monitor Institute Rick Reed, Garfield Foundation, Senior Advisor

• Dec. 6th, 2011

Who are We? What is Monitor Institute?

Part consulting firm … part think tank … part incubator…

What is the Garfield Foundation?

Welcome, Introductions

A Family Foundation using System’s Approaches to Achieving Sustainability

Monitor Institute’s “Networks” Work

Network of Network Funders

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Consulting Incubator Think Tank

A group of people or organizations connected by relationships

What Is a Network?

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network

/ˈnɛtˌwɜrk/

― Noun (the what): a structural form for organizing ― Verb (the how): to connect, spread, organize into a network ― Adjective: connected, transparent, decentralized

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ReAmp Network at a Glance

• Founded in 2003-04 with seed funding from The Garfield

Foundation and Rick Reed leading the charge

• Desire to bring different nonprofits and funders together

in a network to begin to change a system

• Now comprised of 138 nonprofits and 15 funders across 8

states in the Midwest

• Goal: to reduce global warming emissions 80% by 2050

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86% of member organizations agree that RE-AMP

is an effective use of staff, time, and resources.

65% agree that as a result of their participation in

RE-AMP they are using better strategies.

63% report that as a result of their participation

foundations & advocates in the network have become better aligned, and advocates have become better aligned with each other.

92% of foundation members agree that their participation

in RE-AMP is helping them make better funding decisions.

Making the Case: 3rd Party Evaluation Findings

Systemic Alignment = Accelerated Progress

= Policy Success = Policy in Play

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START BY UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM YOU ARE TRYING TO CHANGE. INVOLVE BOTH FUNDERS AND NONPROFITS AS EQUALS FROM THE OUTSET. DESIGN FOR A NETWORK, NOT AN ORGANIZATION— AND INVEST IN COLLECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE. CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP AT MANY LEVELS. CREATE MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT AND COMMUNICATE. REMAIN ADAPTIVE AND EMERGENT—AND COMMITTED TO A LONG-TERM VISION.

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DESIGN FOR A NETWORK, NOT AN ORGANIZATION—AND INVEST IN COLLECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE.

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CAUCUS:

Youth

CAUCUS:

Rural

YOUTH ORGS. FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES RURAL COMMUNTY ORGANIZATIONS NATL. ENVIRONMENTAL ORGS. NONPROFITS TRACKING M.G.A. POLICY

CAUCUS:

Natl. Environmental Organizations

CAUCUS:

Midwest Governors Association

Steering Committee Synergy Committee

WORKING GROUP:

Energy Efficiency

WORKING GROUP:

Coal

WORKING GROUP:

Found- ations

WORKING GROUP:

Global Warming Solutions

WORKING GROUP:

Clean Energy

WORKING GROUP:

Transpor- tation

ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFITS ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDERS

Media Center The Commons (Online) Global Warming Strategic Action Fund Learning & Progress Reports In-Person Meetings

CAUCUS:

Faith-Based Community

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CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP AT MANY LEVELS.

Many Leadership Roles in the Network

Sources: Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor, Net Gains (2006); Beth Kanter; Stephanie Lowell , Building the Field of Dreams (2007); White, Wenger, and Smith, Digital Habitats (2009)

ORGANIZE ANIZER/ R/ EN ENTREP TREPREN RENEU EUR LEAD EAD FUNDER DER NET ETWORK RK COO COORD RDIN INATOR & R & ST STAF AFF CON CONSU SULTANT ANTS/ S/ FACIL CILIT ITATORS RS ELECTE ELECTED D MEM EMBER BER LEADERSH EADERSHIP IP

 Establishes first links to participants  Designs and oversees/ produces the process  Brings in other resources and facilitators as needed  Ensures flow of information and other resources  Provides initial resources for organizing the network  Invests in network capacity building  Can be multiple people with formal and informal roles – help the group

• rganize and do their work

 Tasks and consultants change over time  Facilitates the network use of technology to learn, coordinate, connect  Organizes convenings  Connects people to each other  Manages network “administration”  Steering Committee  Working Group leaders  Caucus leadership  All represent the membership – leadership can emerge anywhere

ORGANIZE ANIZER/ R/ EN ENTREP TREPREN RENEU EUR LEAD EAD FUNDER DER NET ETWORK RK COO COORD RDIN INATOR & R & ST STAF AFF CON CONSU SULTANT ANTS/ S/ FACIL CILIT ITATORS RS ELECTE ELECTED D MEM EMBER BER LEADERSH EADERSHIP IP

• Entrepreneur: Initiated first convening, identified initial

participants and the “issue” to work on

• Catalyst: Launched systems-mapping process for Garfield
• Exec. Producer: Identified network needs, brought in
• ther consultants to facilitate at different stages
• Evangelist/ Weaver: Helped raise resources and bring
• ther funders and nonprofits to the table
• Holding the Whole: Oversees evolution of the whole

network, continually identifying new collective needs

• Problem-solver: “Sees around corners” – spots problems

and figures out solutions

Organizer/ Entrepreneur/ Evangelist (Rick Reed)

Source: Adapted from Net Work by Patti Anklam (2007) and “Vertigo and the Intentional Inhabitant: Leadership in a Connected World” by Bill Traynor (2009)

ORGANIZE ANIZER/ R/ EN ENTREP TREPREN RENEU EUR LEAD EAD FUNDER DER NET ETWORK RK COO COORD RDIN INATOR & R & ST STAF AFF CON CONSU SULTANT ANTS/ S/ FACIL CILIT ITATORS RS ELECTE ELECTED D MEM EMBER BER LEADERSH EADERSHIP IP

Lead Funder (Garfield)

• Innovator: Had initial concept to test – wanted to

apply “network” methodology to social problem solving on a big issue

• Catalyst: Hired Rick Reed to act as organizer/

entrepreneur on foundation’s behalf

• Seed Funder: Provided ample “walking around” money

with few strings attached to get it off the ground

• Growth Investor: Continued to invest in collective

capacity building (facilitation, convening, etc.)

• Weaver: Brought other funders to the table

ORGANIZE ANIZER/ R/ EN ENTREP TREPREN RENEU EUR LEAD EAD FUNDER DER NET ETWORK RK COO COORD RDIN INATOR & R & ST STAF AFF CON CONSU SULTANT ANTS/ S/ FACIL CILIT ITATORS RS ELECTE ELECTED D MEM EMBER BER LEADERSH EADERSHIP IP

Facilitators/Consultants (Many)

• Systems Mapping: Scott Spann led initial process to

identify the problem and points of leverage

• Network Development: Grove Consultants helped

working groups identify strategic priorities; they continue to facilitate whole-network convenings

• Network Design: Ruth Rominger helped conceptualize

design of the network and apply theory to practice

• Evaluation/Learning: Pete Plastrik and Chinwe

Onyeagoro conducted first Network evaluation to identify successes and opportunities for improvement

• Documentation/Dissemination: Monitor Institute

codified learning from the network to share in the field

ORGANIZE ANIZER/ R/ EN ENTREP TREPREN RENEU EUR LEAD EAD FUNDER DER NET ETWORK RK COO COORD RDIN INATOR & R & ST STAF AFF CON CONSU SULTANT ANTS/ S/ FACIL CILIT ITATORS RS ELECTE ELECTED D MEM EMBER BER LEADERSH EADERSHIP IP

Network Coordinator/Staff (Distributed)

• Network Coordinator:
• Staffs the Steering Committee, provides executive

support for meetings (monthly and in-person)

• Plans annual collective convening
• Produces and manages annual budget for network
• Go-to person for Working Group leaders
• Manages other staff
• Staff:
• Half-time staff for each Working Group leader (co-

located with WG leader’s organization)

• Three caucus staff report to coordinator
• Other staff distributed throughout structure and

report to SC: Media Center; Commons; Learning and Progress

ORGANIZE ANIZER/ R/ EN ENTREP TREPREN RENEU EUR LEAD EAD FUNDER DER NET ETWORK RK COO COORD RDIN INATOR & R & ST STAF AFF CON CONSU SULTANT ANTS/ S/ FACIL CILIT ITATORS RS ELECTE ELECTED D MEM EMBER BER LEADERSH EADERSHIP IP

Elected Leadership (Distributed)

• Steering Committee: Elected body comprised of

Working Group leaders, at-large leaders, experts

• Working Groups: Primary mechanism for organizing

the group’s work; each WG elects its leaders

• Caucuses: Other groups used to reach out and

represent specific constituencies (appointed)

• Other: Leadership can emerge from anywhere in the

network at any time – “do-ocracy”

Different Leadership at Different Stages

Adapted from the work of iScale and June Holley & Valdis Krebs

Characteristics of Network Leadership

• Distributed and fluid: many people, many roles,

power not concentrated

• Spacious: radical democracy; leadership can emerge

from anywhere at any time

• Collective: group “brain trust” and intelligence
• Committed: Deep buy-in and investment
• Messy: Sometimes process-intensive; decision-

making can take longer

Challenges Faced by Network Leaders

Unlearning past behaviors (not reverting to

• rganizational model)

Sharing knowledge and collective learning Letting go of control, messiness of process Continuing to engage network participants Learning and leveraging new technologies Identifying and measuring impact/ network “health”

Source of images: Cut Throat Communications, Blog.com, Rutgers University RU FAIR, Kodaikanal International School, flickr

Decision rights; interface with outside world

Implications for Leadership Development Work

• New Paradigm: Shifting from leadership as an individual

position to a collective behavior shared by many (leadership in networks)

• Collective Capacity Investments: Consider investing in

collective capacity building, not just individual or

• rganizational development
• Context: Leadership is imbedded in the context of an

ecosystem of actors, and a whole system – not in isolation

• Recruiting: The above will impact how you think about

recruiting, and who you are developing

• Competencies/ Evaluation: The skills you develop, and how

you assess leaders is very different in a network

• Other: What else?

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Questions?

Heather McLeod Grant, Monitor Institute heather_grant@monitor.com Rick Reed, RE-AMP reamprr@gmail.com To download the case study: www.monitorinstitute.com/reamp