Building Networks

ONE Massachusetts is a network-in-formation of people and organizations sharing a common vision–to rebuild public confidence in our capacity to work together, through our government, to expand economic opportunity and improve the quality of life in Massachusetts.

What is a network: A Network requires regular face-to-face interaction, a shared set of ideas, language, standard, identity or reason for being, a shared reason to care about each other, requires trust, requires relinquishing a measure of autonomy in favor of the group.

Networks are different than organizations-traditional orgs are like pyramids-stable, top down-networks are flexible; structures are provisional-networks adapt far more easily than organizations-traditional orgs are hierarchical;networks are flat

Characteristics of a network: *NOT a single point of decision-making
- Easy for people to come in and out
- A high degree of freedom AND a high degree of agreement
- Intentional activity-based linkages

Advantages of a Network
1. Collective Intelligence
2. Easy to Grow
3. Rapid Diffusion
4. Resilient
5. Adaptive Capacity

Connectivity
• Makes communications easy
• “Thicker” richer information
• Strong “navigational” functions
• “Weak ties”

Here is a taste of the Building a Network training (1.98 mb pdf)