Urban Leadership Foundation
A hub for leadership training in cities and among the world's 1.4 billion slum-dwellers
A World of Accelerating Change Where are we now?
(The following is modified from the Starfish website)
A Mass Movement Where are we going?
The Encarnacao Alliance What are we doing?
The Encarnacao Alliance How can you get involved?
Change is accelerating, but what does that mean? Yes, knowledge is increasing. But there are a lot of other things that are accelerating as well. There is acceleration in communications. In less than thirty years we have gone from the introduction of the cell phone to 3.3 billion subscriptions. In less than twenty years, the Internet has gone from commercial introduction to 1.5 billion users. These innovations have drastically changed the way we communicate and share information on a daily basis ...globally.
There is acceleration in social networking. A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friendship, kinship, dislike, conflict or trade. The resulting graph-based structures are often very complex as shown below.
Social networks are the current rage of the Internet. With the Internet now providing the ideal platform for networking, the top three social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, and Reunion) have grown to over 220 million users with over 500,000 new accounts being added daily.
Increased connectivity is accelerating globalization resulting in a flat and decentralized world. As Thomas Friedman writes, in “The World is Flat”, globalization is leveling the playing field, in terms of commerce, to the point where all competitors have an equal opportunity. A one-man shop in India can effectively compete for business against a large corporation in America. Ori Brafman, in “The Starfish and the Spider”, adds that the Internet is now enabling organizations and networks to decentralize their operations through distributive networks. These decentralized networks can create dis-economies of scale that can disrupt whole industries. A shy engineer named Craig Newmark never dreamed that the introduction of his website called Craig’s List could single handedly nearly bankrupt the entire newspaper industry.
There is acceleration in natural disasters resulting in chaos and disruptions to social structures. In the last 4 years, we have experienced four natural disasters with some of the greatest loss of human life in history. They include the 2004 Asian Tsunami (225,000+ dead), the 2005 Pakistan Earthquake (80,000+ dead), the 2008 Nargis Cyclone (100,000+ dead), and the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake (80,000+ dead).
There is an acceleration of urbanization and urban poverty. There are 1.3 billion urban poor globally. As of 2006, there were over 20 million refugees in the world. In addition, there are currently reported to be over 25 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), refugees within their own country, with 70-80% being women and children. The Sichuan earthquake alone added another 3+ million IDPs to the list. Most are still living in tents this winter (2008-2009).
Presently, there are an estimated 130+ million orphans in the world with less than 400,000 being adopted on an annual basis. These numbers appear to be escalating out of control. The years 2007– 2008 saw dramatic rises in world food price, bringing a state of global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. Over 1.1 billion people live in extreme poverty earning less than $1 USD per day and over half the population of planet earth live on less than $2.50 USD per day.
The Encarnacao Alliance is Taking Action
A growing number of individuals and organizations are becoming
increasingly aware of the magnitude of these changes. But what will
they do about it? “What can I do?” you may ask. “I’m just one person.”
The answer is – a lot! You can make a big difference! If each one of us
was to do something, ...anything, and we all worked together, we could
have an extraordinary impact! And that is precisely what the Encarnacao Alliance is attempting to do; help ordinary people make an
extraordinary difference in the lives of the poor and needy people we
serve in over 80 nations. That is what this concept paper is all about.
Emerging technologies and societal trends are setting the stage for a
new way of impacting the world. We are now able to effectively network
people and resources across a wide range of private sector skills with
participants from businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGO),
faith-based and civic groups and academic institutions.
The Encarnacao Alliance is using the Internet and social networking concepts to evolve a decentralized starfish-like network. Simultaneously, we are working to understand the causal factors and principles that impact the emergence of mass movements in order to better influence the direction and outcomes of such a movement.
Our ultimate goal is to combine and leverage the attributes of
social networking, decentralized Encarnacao Alliances, and those of an
emerging mass movement. By doing so, we hope to catalyze, support,
empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized
starfish-like mass movement that will enable ordinary people to make an
extraordinary difference on a daily basis!
In some ways, the Encarnacao Alliance can be explained as a connector of networks. Relational networks of the community encompass nearly every nation of the world and a significant number of the more than 12,000 ethno-linguistic people groups. As a connector, the community mobilizes resources across the whole private sector including businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based and civic groups, and academic institutions. Relief and development models provide the framework for identifying and mobilizing 26 different categories of subject matter expert skill sets. Expanding social networks represent a broad range of private sector skill sets and participants from around the world. The growing question is, “How do we optimize these networks and connections to make a bigger difference?”
With this in mind, understanding the interactive dynamics of large social networks will help us to interact more effectively and to accomplish more working together. The purpose of this section is to explore three significant types of social network concepts including:
Following a review of these concepts, we will explore a convergence of their attributes and characteristics from an operational perspective with the intent to leverage aspects of each for greater impact. By doing so, we hope to catalyze, support, empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized starfish mass movement.
This section will be focused on addressing concepts. Practical application of these concepts relative to specific community operations will be addressed in a later section.
Why do people join a social network? Eric Hoffer, in “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements” states that community and equality are the passion of the masses. For some its about business, for others its about sharing a common cause, but for most, it is simply about belonging and equality.
Research in a number of academic fields has shown that social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.
In its simplest form, a social network is a map of all relevant ties between the nodes being studied. The network can also be used to determine the social capital of individual actors. These concepts are often displayed in a social network diagram, where nodes are the points and ties are the lines.
Connecting the Community
Communities
have various levels of belonging. Lets explore online communities
(OLC), since the Internet represents the prime social networking
platform. Most OLCs consist of three social rings -- a densely
connected core in the center, loosely connected fragments in the second
ring, and an outer ring of disconnected nodes, commonly known as
lurkers.
Map of an online social networking community
In this diagram, we see three distinct types of people in our community -- designated by blue, green and red nodes. The proportion of nodes in each ring in this overall population is fairly typical of online communities -- the isolates [lurkers] outnumber the highly-connected.
The outer orbit in the network above contains the blue nodes. They have been attracted to the OLC, but have not connected yet. This group is the most likely to leave the OLC or remain passive members with little or no contribution to the community. Lurkers in online communities are often more than 60% of the group!
The green nodes have a few connections -- usually with prior acquaintances. They are not connected to the larger community -- no sense of belonging yet. The small clusters of friendships amongst the greens can be maintained by other media and do not need a particular OLC to survive. They are also likely to leave or become passive and will likely do so in unison.
The inner core of the community is composed of red nodes. They are very involved and have formed a connected cluster. The leaders of the OLC are embedded in the core. The core members will stay and build the community. Unfortunately they are in the minority. The core nodes are usually less than 20% of most online groups. Although small, they are a powerful force of attraction. It is the core that is committed and loyal to the OLC and will work on making it a success. They see a win-win for themselves and the group -- better connectivity will help the individual and the group simultaneously.
Sustaining a Social Network
Online communities and social networks are often conceived and
developed by businesses and organizations that focus on: "How can we
use the online community to benefit us?" They fail at community
development by not creating a strategy that makes sure their target
audience is gaining a positive experience and practical benefits from
participating in the community. It is amazing how organizations build
online social networks but ignore the needs of the very people they are
trying to attract and influence. Its no surprise, then, when large
chunks of their target group leave when the "next big thing" comes
around: SixDegrees→Friendster→Orkut→MySpace→Facebook→Next? To build a
vibrant and growing network, you need to support natural human
behavior, not work against it.
Connections are key in online social networks -- people are loyal to what they are connected to and what provides them benefits. People stick with established ties they trust. Interacting with those we know and trust brings a sense of warmth and belonging to the virtual communities we visit via our computer screens. Yet, we are open to meeting new people -- as long as we are introduced by those we trust. An established community, with dense interconnectivity, not only keeps existing members happy, but is also a large magnet for contacts of current members -- everyone wants to be connected and included in vibrant communities that provide benefits to members!
Building Connections
Networks and communities are built on connections. Better connections
usually provide better opportunities. But, what are better connections,
and how do they lead to more effective and productive networks and
communities? How do we build connected networks that create, and take
advantage of, opportunities in their region or marketplace? How does
success emerge from the complex interactions within networks?
This section investigates building sustainable communities through improving their connectivity – internally and externally – using network ties to create economic opportunities. Improved connectivity is created through an interactive process of knowing the network and knitting the network. Knowing the network involves mapping the network. There are a host of social network tools available to accomplish this objective. Information can be found at www.orgnet.com from which much of the information in this section was gathered.
A vibrant community network is generally built or “knit” in four phases, each with its own distinct topology. Each phase builds a more adaptive and resilient network structure than the prior phase. Network mapping can be used to track progress through these four stages.
1) Scattered Fragments - Experience shows that most communities start as small emergent clusters organized around common interests or goals. Usually these clusters are isolated from each other. They are very small groups of 1-5 people or organizations that have connected out of necessity. If these fragments do not organize further, the community structure remains weak and under- producing. Begin weaving the network by asking questions:
Network weaving can be accomplished a number of different ways. (7 is Best, 1 is Least)
7. Introducing A and B in person and offering a collaboration opportunity to get A and B started in a successful partnership
6. Introducing A and B in person and contacting A and B afterward to nurture the connection
5. Introducing A and B in person
4. Doing a conference call introduction of A and B
3. Doing an email introduction of A and B
2. Suggesting to A that A should talk with B and then contacting B to let B know to expect a call from A
1. Suggesting to A that A should talk with B
2) Single Hub-and-Spoke - Without active leaders who take responsibility for building a network, spontaneous connections between groups emerge very slowly, or not at all. We call this active leader a network weaver. Instead of allowing these fragments to drift in the hope of making a lucky connection, network weavers actively create new interactions among them. Network weavers begin with a hub and spoke network, with the weaver as the hub. The weaver has the vision, the energy, and the social skills to connect to diverse individuals and groups and start information flowing to and from them. The weavers usually have external links outside of the community to bring in information and ideas. This is a critical phase for community building because everything depends on a weaver who is the hub in the network. However, if multiple weavers are working in the same community, we may get independent multiple hub and spoke networks, with limited overlap between them.
3) Multi-Hub Small-World Network - The transition from network weaver to network facilitator is critical. The weaver is identifying and mentoring new weavers who will eventually take over much of the network building and maintenance.
If the transition is not made, then, the community network remains dependent on the central weaver and his/her organization. At the transition point the weaver changes from being a direct leader to an indirect leader, influencing new emergent leaders appearing throughout the community. This transition is necessary for the network to increase its scale, impact and reach.
Now that other hubs [network weavers] are emerging in the network, the various weavers begin to connect to each other, creating a multi-hub community. Not only is this network topology less fragile, it is also the best design to minimize the average path length throughout the network – remember, the shorter the hops the better for work flow, information exchange and knowledge sharing! Information percolates most quickly through a network where the best-connected nodes are all connected to each other.
4) Core/Periphery The end goal for vibrant, sustainable community networks is the core/periphery model. This topology emerges after many years of network weaving by multiple hubs. It is a stable structure that can link to other well-developed networks in other regions. The network core in this model contains the key community members, including many who are network weavers, and have developed strong ties amongst themselves. The periphery of this network contains three groups of nodes that are usually tied to the core through looser ties:
The periphery allows us to reach ideas and information not currently prevalent in our network. The core allows us to act on those ideas and information. The periphery is the open, porous boundary of the community network. It is where new members/ideas come and go. The periphery monitors the environment, while the core implements what is discovered and deemed useful.
To summarize, starting with a disconnected community, network builders can start weaving together the necessary skills and resources to build simple single-hub networks, followed by a more robust multi-hub network, concluding with a resilient core/periphery structure – maximized for innovation and implementation.
Bridging Clusters
Working
in isolated clusters is fine if the world around you is not changing.
Bridging clusters allows everyone to learn and exchange perspectives
and ideas. Connections create cross-fertilization and innovation
usually follows.
Shape of Networks
The shape of a social network helps determine a network's usefulness to its individuals. Smaller, tighter networks can be less useful to their members than networks with lots of loose connection (weak ties) to individuals outside the main network.
More open networks, with many weak ties and social connections, are more likely to introduce new ideas and opportunities to their members than closed networks with many redundant ties. In other words, a group of friends who only do things with each other already share the same knowledge and opportunities. A group of individuals with connections to other social worlds is likely to have access to a wider range of information. It is better for individual success to have connections to a variety of networks rather than many connections within a single network. Similarly, individuals can exercise influence or act as brokers within their social networks by bridging two networks that are not directly linked (called filling structural holes)
Vibrant and Effective Networks
What does a vibrant, effective community network look like? Research
has been done to discover the qualities of vibrant networks.
Sociologists, physicists, mathematicians, and management consultants
have all discovered similar answers about effective networks. The
amazing discovery is that people in organizations, routers on the
Internet, cells in a nervous system, molecules in protein interactions,
animals in an ecosystem, and pages on the WWW are all organized in
efficient network structures that have similar properties.
Five general patterns are observed in all effective networks:
1. Birds of a feather flock together: nodes link together because of common attributes, goals or governance.
2. At the same time diversity is important. Though clusters form around
common attributes and goals, vibrant networks maintain connections to
diverse nodes and clusters. A diversity of connections is required to
maximize innovation within the network.
3. Robust networks have several paths between any two nodes. If several
nodes or links are damaged or removed, other pathways exist for
uninterrupted information flow among the remaining nodes.
4. Some nodes are more prominent than others – they are either hubs1, brokers 2, or boundary spanners.
5. They are critical to network health.
6. Most nodes in the network are connected by an indirect link in the
network. A-B-C-D shows a direct link between A and B, but indirect
links between A and C and A and D. Yet, the average path length in the
network tends to be short. There are very few long paths in the network
that lead to delay and distortion of information flow and knowledge
exchange.
The Starfish and the Spider Most of us known that a spider is a creature with eight legs coming out of a central body. With a magnifying glass, we can see that the spider also has a tiny head and eight eyes. If you chop off the spider’s head, it dies. It could maybe survive without a leg or two, and probably even stand to lose a couple of eyes, but it certainly couldn’t survive without its head. The spider has a centralized control system that is similar to most organizations.
A starfish, at first glance, is similar to a spider in appearance. Like the spider, the starfish appears to have a bunch of legs coming out of a central body. But that’s where the similarities end. The starfish is decentralized. With a spider, what you see is pretty much what you get. A body is a body, a head is a head and a leg is a leg. But starfish are very different. The starfish does not have a head. Its central body is not even in charge. In fact, the major organs are replicated throughout each and every leg. If you cut the starfish in half, the animal doesn’t die, it regenerates.
Starfish have an incredible quality to them: if you cut a leg off, most species will grow a new leg. And with some varieties, such as the Linckia, or long armed starfish, the animal can replicate itself from a single piece of a leg. You can cut the Linckia into a bunch of pieces, and each one will regenerate into a whole new starfish. They can achieve this magical regeneration because in reality, a starfish is a neural network – basically a network of cells. Instead of having a head like a spider, the starfish functions as a decentralized network. For the starfish to move a leg, it must convince the other legs that it is a good idea to do so. The leg starts moving, and then, in a process that no one fully understands, the other legs move and cooperate as well. There is no brain to make a decision. The starfish doesn’t have a brain, or a central command. Similar to the starfish, there are a host of emerging organizations that function in a decentralized manner like the starfish. Examples include such entities as Visa, Skype, Craig’s List, Wikipedia, Alcoholics Anonymous and Apache Software, to name a few.
Legs of a Encarnacao Alliance
In his book “The Starfish and the Spider” author, Ori Brafman,
identifies five legs upon which a decentralized network stands. As with
the starfish, it can lose one or two legs and still survive. But when
you have all five legs working together, a decentralized network can
really take off.
Leg 1 – Circles
Circles are important to nearly every
decentralized network. They provide the vehicle for independent and
autonomous operation. Characteristics of circles include:
Leg 2 – The Catalyst
A Catalyst is any element or compound
that initiates a reaction without fusing into that reaction. In a
decentralized organization, a Catalyst is a person who initiates a
reaction and gets the organization going and then fades into the
background by ceding control to the members. In letting go of the
Leadership role, the Catalyst transfers ownership and responsibility to
the circle or decentralized organization. Once the Catalyst moves on,
however, their presence is still felt as they provide the inspirational
motivation to continue to spur others to action. Additional
characteristics of the Catalyst include:
Most Catalysts draw upon similar tools to operate and get the job done. Catalysts’ tools include:
Leg 3 – Ideology
Ideology is the glue that holds
decentralized networks together. It is more than a sense of community
or the desire to create a better world. It is a common set of beliefs
or values that inspire members to fight and sacrifice of themselves for
a common cause. These common beliefs define the norms or values of the
network, which in turn, dictate the cultural DNA. Since there is no
central command and control structure in a decentralized network, a
clearly defined ideology is central to controlling behaviors. The
greater the common cause and the stronger the ideology, the longer the
network will last.
Leg 4 – The Pre-Existing Network
Almost every decentralized
network that has made it big was launched from a pre-existing platform.
But gaining entrance into a pre-existing network is not as simple as
just showing up with a good idea. Centralized organizations are not
setup to launch decentralized movements. Without Circles, there is not
the infrastructure for people to get involved and take ownership of a
new idea. Circles provide the vehicle to put people together in a
close-knit community of empowered members with shared values and a
belief that everyone is equal. Loose knit social networks provide the
ideal breeding ground for decentralized circles and typically have a
higher tolerance for innovation. Typically it takes the special skills
of the Catalyst entering the social network to birth a decentralized
movement, but today the Internet also provides an ideal launch pad for
new Encarnacao Alliances, by enabling rapid and simple communication and
active participation.
Leg 5 – The Champion
The Champion is a restless pioneer in
promoting a new idea. Catalysts are charismatic, but champions take the
necessary steps to move the network forward to the next level.
Catalysts inspire and naturally connect people, but there is nothing
subtle about the Champion. Characteristics include:
When a Catalyst joins up with a Champion to architect a movement, create self-empowered circles, tap into an ideology whose time has come, and draw upon a pre-existing network, they can change the course of history.
A flat, decentralized world
The Internet has forever changed our world. The speed and access of
global communications has leveled or flattened the competitive playing
field to the point that a single individual in the developing world can
effectively compete against a large established company in the West. In
a flat, decentralized world, there are dis-economies of scale where a
single person or small team can financially and operationally disrupt
whole industries. A shy engineer by the name of Craig Newmark never
dreamed that the site he launched, to post online listings in the San
Francisco Bay Area, would nearly bankrupt the entire newspaper
industry. Few could have believed that a new decentralized
telecommunications network called Skype could radically impact the
entire telephone industry. The world is becoming flatter and more
decentralized by the day.
Decentralizing a Centralized Organization
With the rise of starfish-like decentralized networks, the more common
centralized hierarchical organizations are increasingly faced with a
formidable challenge; decentralize, learn to effectively interface with
decentralized networks, or face possible extinction. Whole economies,
like the newspaper and telephone industries, are on the brink of
extinction by emerging decentralized networks like Craig’s List and
Skype. How do you know if your organization is centralized or
decentralized? Review these questions provide by Ori Brafman in “The
Starfish and the Spider”.
1. Is there a person in charge?
2. Are there headquarters?
3. If you thump it on the head, will it die?
4. Is there a clear division of roles?
5. If you take out a unit, is the organization harmed?
6. Are knowledge and power concentrated or distributed?
7. Is the organization flexible or rigid?
8. Can you count the employees or participants?
9. Are working groups funded by the organization, or are they self-funded?
10. Do working groups communicate directly or through intermediaries?
Ori summarizes the Eight Principles of Decentralization as follows:
1. When attacked, a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized
2. It is easy to mistake a Starfish for a Spider
3. An open system does not have central intelligence; it is spread throughout the system
4. Open systems can easily mutate
5. The decentralized organization sneaks up on you (because it mutates so quickly)
6. As industries become decentralized, overall profits decrease – that
is why you want to watch out for them before they take an industry by
storm
7. Put people into an open system, and they will automatically want to contribute
8. When attacked, centralized organizations tend to become even more centralized
One of the greatest challenges in decentralizing a centralized
organization is that of financial sustainability. As an organization
decentralizes, overall profits decrease. Decentralized organizations
must be innovative in developing financial income streams.
In a time of accelerating change, social structures around the world are under attack. Families and communities are being disrupted and undergoing decay. Natural and man-made disasters, food shortages and global migration all feed into and heighten the problem. The global environment is ripening for the emergence of mass movements.
The purpose of this section is to understand the causal factors and principles that impact the emergence of a mass movement and how we might be able to catalyze and influence the direction and outcomes of such a movement. Our hope is that we might catalyze a mass movement that will provide a platform for “Connecting Resources to Needs” for the poor and underprivileged people in developing nations.
Adherents to Mass Movements
It is imperative that we understand the strength and depth of the
convictions of adherents to mass movements. Awareness of their
commitment helps us to understand the influence and impact they have
within their social structures. They are a powerful force to be
reckoned with. Most adherents to mass movements come with a similar
mindset. As such, most movements are interchangeable. One movement can
be substituted or birthed from another. Adherents typically embody the
following characteristics:
Environmental Factors that Set the Stage for a Mass Movement
There are a host of environmental factors that help to set the stage
for the emergence of a mass movement. The decentralization of networks
and organizations, and the disruption of social structures, have
already been discussed. In his book “The True Believer: Thoughts on the
Nature of Mass Movements”, author Eric Hoffer provides a more
comprehensive list to include the following.
One of the closing statements in Eric Hoffer’s book summarizes the power and impact of emerging mass movements.
“In democracies people are too soft, too pleasure loving and too selfish to die for a nation, a God or a holy cause. This lack of a readiness to die, we are told, is indicative of an inner rot – a moral and biological decay. The democracies are old, corrupt and decadent. They are no match for the virile congregations of the faithful who are about to inherit the earth.”
There is much truth to this statement. But not all mass movements need to be negative. Accelerations in information, technologies, and the Internet have already created a rapid and positive mass movement, or migration, for billions of people to a new way of communicating and sharing information on a global scale.
Similarly, these advancements can enable a correlating mass migration in the way ordinary people are able to help one another. As a result, our intent is to facilitate and influence the emergence of a mass movement that enables a global tribe of like-minded practitioners that are bound by a common cause to serve the poor and needy.
Our goal then is to develop, promote, and make available, an established venue so that ordinary people can easily engage to make an extraordinary difference. We need to proclaim a bold and immediate hope for the future, one that is both doable and achievable. We need passionate Leadership to rally the disillusioned and disenfranchised to this immediate hope, inspire them to action, and consolidate and leverage resources to serve the poor and needy.
Activities that support the emergence of a Mass Movement
Many factors ultimately impact the emergence of a mass movement.
Leaders cannot create the conditions that make a mass movement
successful. There must be intense dissatisfaction with things as they
currently exist. The right leaders often wait many long years in the
wings for the environment to ripen and bring forth a movement. Breeding
discontent or championing the reasonableness or legitimacy of a new way
cannot initiate a mass movement. When the environment is ripe, the
following list provides the types of activities that will help
influence the launch and direction of a mass movement:
Operational support to a mass movement
A mass movement typically emerges as a spontaneous reaction of the
masses to some type of precipitating event(s) that is pioneered by Men
of Words into a common cause, and materialized by Inspirational Leaders
into a mass movement. There are certain types of operations that
organizations can provide to support the emerging movement such as:
Mass movements can emerge rapidly and elicit large-scale drastic changes. We would do well to understand their nature and causal factors. In doing so, our hope is to influence their direction and outcomes.
When hopes and dreams are loose in the streets, it is well for the timid to lock the doors, shutter the windows, and lie low until the wrath has passed for there is often a monstrous incongruity between the hopes, however noble and tender, and the actions which follow them.
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
The purpose of this section is to combine and leverage the characteristics and attributes of the three types of social network concepts reviewed including:
By doing so, we hope to understand the operational requirements to catalyze, support, empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized starfish mass movement. The following thoughts and concepts are provided in the context of an operational nature to identify potential areas of support and focus for the Encarnacao Alliance to catalyze a movement. This section will be focused on addressing the following operational concepts: (Specific issues related to community operations will be addressed in detail in a later section.)
Culture and Ideology
In a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, there is no one
in control. There is no operational chain of command or central
headquarters. Even when building a social network, the network weaver
is focused on raising up new leaders to take over the Leadership role.
As a result, an ideology is the primary means of controlling how the
adherents behave.
A group’s ideology is composed of a set of shared values or common beliefs. These values or common beliefs define the cultural DNA of the group. People of a common cultural DNA will typically gravitate to one another. Sometimes we talk about being of the same “tribe”. The stronger the ideology, the more influence it has over actions, even to the point of people being willing to give up their life for the cause. Additional thoughts on a core ideology include:
In additional to ideology, the culture of the Encarnacao Alliance must promote community and camaraderie. Though a common cause will focus actions, and some will join a network for financial gain, most adherents to networks and mass movement join because they are looking for a culture of community that meets their personal need for equality and belonging.
A Common Cause
A common cause is a powerful tool for unified action within a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement. Different adherents may engage for different
reasons but they all have a common cause or outcome they are working
together and joining forces to achieve. As the old saying goes,
“nothing unites the troops like a common enemy”. The common cause or
defined outcome must be specific enough to cause defined action but
broad enough to cover a wide range of potential skill sets of the
adherents that join the network or movement.
Structure
The
structure of the Encarnacao Alliance should be decentralized with
independent and autonomous Circles or cells being empowered by leaders
and catalysts. With a lack of hierarchy, all members of the network are
considered equal and work together for a common cause. In a completely
decentralized Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, the following
characteristics may exist:
Hybrid organizations may support and empower the network or movement to achieve their designated outcomes or common cause by providing value added services. In the case of , establishing a venue or platform to centralize and share information may be of significant value
Leadership and Management
In all three social network concepts explored, a small loose connection
of people can have a large amount of influence and power. In all cases,
and particularly when no one is in charge, the amount of power and
influence leaders exercise is determined by the strength and trust of
the relational connections.
In all cases, leaders are necessary to inspire and lead the people into united action. Management and decision-making needs to be decentralized to the front lines of operation where knowledge, creativity, innovation and ownership are greatest.
Each of the social network concepts we have explored requires different types of Leadership summarized by the following.
If we converge the requirements of all three concepts, we end up with primarily two types of Leadership. It takes both working together to catalyze, inspire, empower, and establish the network.
Knowledge, Information, and Communications
In a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, knowledge is greatest on the
front line, at the edge of the network. When it comes to social
networking, innovation and creativity lie at the intersection point of
different social clusters. The operational focus should be for
information to be shared and decentralized throughout the network.
Communications across the network should occur directly between members versus through intermediaries or through an established chain of command. The operational focus should be to establish a communications platform to enable and enhance interaction between individual members across the network.
Finances and Resources
As organizations or industries decentralize, profits decrease. In a
pure Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, there are no paid positions or
titles because they create turf wars and focus on interests of personal
gain and betterment. When people in a mass movement begin to focus on
personal interests, the dynamic growth stage of the movement has ended
and people are now looking to stabilize and establish the movement.
Individual units (Circles, cells) should be largely self-funded with unit leaders primarily responsible for acquiring and managing their own funds. The overall power or influence of the network or movement is proportional to the strength of the relational connections and the number of members or adherents. The ideal situation is that it costs nothing to add a member and each new member makes the network more valuable. With every new member, there are more resources within the network.
Training
Training must be a core component of any social network. Transfer of
cultural DNA, sharing of information, and utilizing an established
process or platform all requires some type of training. In addition,
capturing lessons learned and sharing best practices optimizes
performance.
Operations
In
a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance, small Circles of 6-12 people are the
key to action, creativity and ownership. As ordinary people become
equal members, the Circle is empowered and gains greater influence and
capability. Circles should be able to operate independently with
autonomy. Leveraging the power of the Circles across a network or mass
movement is enabled through information sharing and communications.
Information sharing provides for a common picture, allowing adherents
to self- synchronize their efforts without any chain of command.
Equality is the passion of the masses. Circles provide the ideal social setting to establish a strong sense of community and equality necessary for adherents. The operational imperative is for all newcomers to find an immediate place to plug in. Everyone should be able to participate and find equality and community. Assimilation is ensured through a sense of belonging and a defined ideology that controls behavior within the community.
Small Circles should be used to address issues and resolve challenges that the network or movement might face. For problem-solving or innovation, Circles should be provided with resources and released to address the issue as they see fit. People commit to what they help create. Performance metrics to monitor, measure, and manage the health and strength of the network should be through the vitality of the small Circles.
In a social network, strength of the network and performance are measured through such metrics as centrality (degree, betweenness, closeness), network centralization, network reach, boundary spanners, and peripheral players.
A centralized organization can decentralize the user experience through practices like User Ratings, a safety factor like that used in PayPal, and ongoing opportunities for public comments that have impact to their reputation.
Performance
Performance in a decentralized network or movement is best measured by
the successful of the social vehicle used to carry out the actions of
the network. For a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, success might be
measured by the strength and vitality of the Circles or communal
structure established, for a social network it may be the strength and
centrality of the connection. If the focus of a group of circles is
community transformation, then performance metrics must be chosen that
are relative to the success of the community.
Change Management
In a world of accelerating change, organizational flexibility and
adaptation have become survival skills. But they are the natural order
for decentralized Encarnacao Alliances and mass movements. They are both
marked by their ability for rapid and drastic adaptation and
transformation. This is enabled by spontaneous intra-network
information sharing and empowered Circles that can operate
independently. Decentralization involves chaos, but also provides a
platform for creativity and innovation, essential for growth and
adaptation.
When under attack or threat from the environment, Encarnacao Alliances become more decentralized while centralized organizations become more centralized and consolidated. Starfish organizations naturally adapt to change while centralized organizations resist change. The typical evolution of an industry or environment is from decentralized chaos, to centralized organization, and then back to decentralization by distributive networks. The final stage is decentralized but instead of chaos, you have a distributive network that can function independently and with autonomy.
In the previous section, we explored the different characteristics of social networking, decentralized Encarnacao Alliances and the emergence of mass movements. The attributes and characteristics of these social network concepts were then combined and viewed from an operational perspective.
The purpose of this section is to explain how the Encarnacao Alliance is evolving with the intent to facilitate the emergence of a mass movement built around a common cause. The following concepts are included:
The Encarnacao Alliance is focused on connecting a global “tribe” with a common cause to help the urban poor. The Mission of the community is to identify like-minded tribal members all over the world and connect them together into a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance that can share information, communications and training resources. The ENcarnacao Alliancetranscends all sectors of society and encompasses representatives from across the private sector, including businesses, NGOs, faith-based and civic groups, and academic institutions. It costs nothing to add new members to the community and with each new member resources across the network grow.
Not all people we meet will become part of this tribe, have the same cultural DNA, or fit into this network. But our hope is that all who want to participate will have a place to immediately plug in, become part of the community, and help change the world. We want to birth a movement out of the Encarnacao Alliance where ordinary people can make a significant difference in the life of someone in need.
In the previous, we addressed the operational requirements to catalyze, support, empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized starfish mass movement. Concepts were provided in the context of an operational nature in order to identify potential areas of support and focus for the Encarnacao Alliance to catalyze a movement. This section will be focused on addressing specific issues related to Encarnacao Alliance operations using the same categories including:
Culture and Ideology
The following list of attributes defines the culture and ideology of
Encarnacao Alliance members. Each of these attributes will be expanded
with correlating behavior statements developed so everyone can
understand specifically what is being presented as our culture and
ideology.
Our values will be inculcated throughout the network by:
A Common Cause
Our common cause is to “Connect Resources to Needs” for the urban poor
Structure
For
a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, small circles provide the ideal
communal structure and are the key to successful operations.
Circles should be comprised of 6-12 members that are working together towards a common cause. They should be able to operate independently and with autonomy. Circles should also be able to communicate with the larger Encarnacao Alliance to share information and resources and conduct collaborative initiatives. Since the breadth and scope of the social network is very large, communications and connectivity will initially be established through trusted relationships and expanded to new Circles of influence by participation online at www.urbanleaders.org.
Ongoing interaction with the Encarnacao Alliance can occur through collaborative initiatives, resource sharing (giving and receiving), and interactive online initiatives like country specific wiki reports, and regional and sector collaboration.
Circles can be formed by anyone, anywhere that wants to join the Encarnacao Alliance. When forming, Circle members should determine what type of project they would like to focus on. This could include any one or more of the 14 disaster relief services or 12 development categories outlined in the Relief (IDR) and Development (HIST) Models provided on the website.
It is recommended that Circle members set some type of schedule to ensure they meet on a regular basis. Equality and community is a driving desire of most adherents. Being able to meet together regularly and successfully, accomplishing initiatives around a common cause, creates a strong sense of community and equality.
Drawing from our exploration of the concept of social networking, the Network Weaver builds or knits the network in the following four stages. These stages should be referred to for establishment of the Circles.
Leadership and Management Leadership and management of starfish-minded organizations participating in the Encarnacao Alliance should actively engage in defining and carrying out the functions outlined below. As starfish-minded organizations engage the larger Encarnacao Alliance, Leadership and management will be decentralized across the network. The primary focus of Inspirational Leadership will be to:
The primary focus of Operational Management will be to:
Knowledge, Information, and Communications
Knowledge and information will be decentralized and distributed across
all adherents to the network through such things as increased
communications, interactive Internet platforms, and gatherings.
Communications will be encouraged through facilitation of Leadership venue, development and implementation of models, regional networking initiatives, collaborative projects and resource sharing
Finances and Resources
There are no fees for participants to join the network. Adherents are expected to acquire and manage their own funding.
Training
serves the Encarnacao Alliance by providing the following types of training:
Training on the starfish concept is provided to help organizations understand the Encarnacao Alliance cultural DNA, concept and network. Training on the HIST and IDR Models is provided as a proven process for practically engaging a comprehensive range of practitioners in community development and disaster response operations.
Operations
Small Circles will be promoted and developed across the network.
Circles should be used to address issues and resolve challenges that
the network might face.
Performance
Success will ultimately be measured by the vitality and effectiveness
of the Circles. Are they doing projects? Are they giving and or
receiving resources? Are people being helped? Are ordinary people able
to make a significant impact in the lives of others?
In the Encarnacao Alliance, strength of the network and performance might be measured through such metrics as centrality (degree, betweenness, closeness), network centralization, network reach, boundary spanners, and peripheral players. A well-connected node (individual or organization):
Change Management
Change management and adaptability across the network will be enhanced by:
This final section provides a look at all the value added services and capabilities that are now available to the Encarnacao Alliance. With each new member joining the network, the overall resources available to members will grow. Available capabilities will be explained within the following categories below and posted on the website for interested viewers and updated on an ongoing basis.
Infrastructure and Services Support to the Encarnacao Alliance
A strategic decision is needed to invest in infrastructure
that could serve and enable the greater Encarnacao Alliance.
The Allaince continues to look for organizations to partner with for provision of training services for the Encarnacao Alliance. The community would benefit greatly from those that can provide training on more technical or in-depth subject matter within and across the 23 categories. Organizations or individuals interested in participating should contact the Training Director.
Additional Encarnacao Alliance Networks, Alliances and Opportunities
Most of the services outlined below, are also currently operational and available to Encarnacao Alliance members.
MA in Transformational Urban Leadership
The Encarnacao Alliance is networking partners around the world to
identify, train, and collaborate in delivering training for Slum Movement Leaders. Qualified partners are graduating a growing network of skilled practitioners for training
Grassroots City Learning Network
The Encarnacao Alliance includes a growing number of organizations that
specialize in rapid disaster response and assessment activities. In
addition, many local practitioners are joining together to form Local
Coordination Teams for their own regions.
Organizations receiving Encarnacao Alliance training can be qualified in the Network as trainers.
Organizations interested in participating on the global IDR Network disaster response teams should contact the IDRN Director.
Hope Resource Network
The Hope Resource Network (HRN) was formed to network warehouses and
logistics partners that are interested in working together for relief
and development operations. There is currently over 3 million sq. ft.
of warehouse space and 40 members and locations in the network with
operations expanding globally.
The HRN allows members of the Encarnacao Alliance to mobilize and manage a myriad of different types of gift-in-kind (GIK) resources for relief and development operations. Through our own Hope Warehouse and the HRN, has supported container shipments to over 30 countries each year with materials ranging from hospital and school supplies to warm clothing and shoes. Contact the HRN Manager if you would like to join this network.
In the previous section, we explored the actions being taken to connect and network a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance. We also reviewed the capabilities that have been developed and made available to the Encarnacao Alliance including infrastructure and services.
In this section, we will explore how interested organizations and individuals can immediately plug into the Encarnacao Alliance and begin making a difference. A flowchart is provided as Attachment 1. The following concepts are included in this section.
The Encarnacao Alliance is a global network based on strong personal relationships. Many members of the community have been working together for years, while others are relatively new. Regardless of how long a member has been interactive in the network, we all have one thing in common-- a desire to bring hope and a future to the urban poor of the world. As a network of networks, the Encarnacao Alliance is committed to “Connecting Learning Resources to Needs”. The goal is to provide a venue for ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of those in need.
The following activities provide a number of potential opportunities for interested parties to join the community and begin making a difference today!
A World of Accelerating Change Where are we now?
A Mass Movement Where are we going?
The Encarnacao Alliance What are we doing?
The Encarnacao Alliance How can you get involved?
Come gather 'round people wherever you roam And admit that the waters
around you have grown And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the
bone. If your time to you is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the
times they are a-changin'.
Bob Dylan
We are living in an age of accelerating change. There is a global acceleration of knowledge that is unbridled by wisdom. In the late 90’s we were told that knowledge on the face of the earth was doubling every eighteen months. A recent internet video states that by the year 2010, technical knowledge will be doubling every 72 hours! I think its obvious to all that the rate of change is escalating. How do we live in these times of change? One thing is for sure; life, as we know it, will never be the same.
Change is accelerating, but what does that mean? Yes, knowledge is increasing. But there are a lot of other things that are accelerating as well. There is acceleration in communications. In less than thirty years we have gone from the introduction of the cell phone to 3.3 billion subscriptions. In less than twenty years, the Internet has gone from commercial introduction to 1.5 billion users. These innovations have drastically changed the way we communicate and share information on a daily basis ...globally.
There is acceleration in social networking. A social network is a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friendship, kinship, dislike, conflict or trade. The resulting graph-based structures are often very complex as shown below.
Social networks are the current rage of the Internet. With the Internet now providing the ideal platform for networking, the top three social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, and Reunion) have grown to over 220 million users with over 500,000 new accounts being added daily.
Increased connectivity is accelerating globalization resulting in a flat and decentralized world. As Thomas Friedman writes, in “The World is Flat”, globalization is leveling the playing field, in terms of commerce, to the point where all competitors have an equal opportunity. A one-man shop in India can effectively compete for business against a large corporation in America. Ori Brafman, in “The Starfish and the Spider”, adds that the Internet is now enabling organizations and networks to decentralize their operations through distributive networks. These decentralized networks can create dis-economies of scale that can disrupt whole industries. A shy engineer named Craig Newmark never dreamed that the introduction of his website called Craig’s List could single handedly nearly bankrupt the entire newspaper industry.
There is acceleration in natural disasters resulting in chaos and disruptions to social structures. In the last 4 years, we have experienced four natural disasters with some of the greatest loss of human life in history. They include the 2004 Asian Tsunami (225,000+ dead), the 2005 Pakistan Earthquake (80,000+ dead), the 2008 Nargis Cyclone (100,000+ dead), and the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake (80,000+ dead).
As of 2006, there were over 20 million refugees in the world. In addition, there are currently reported to be over 25 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), refugees within their own country, with 70-80% being women and children. The Sichuan earthquake alone added another 3+ million IDPs to the list. Most are still living in tents this winter (2008-2009).
Presently, there are an estimated 130+ million orphans in the world with less than 400,000 being adopted on an annual basis. These numbers appear to be escalating out of control. The years 2007– 2008 saw dramatic rises in world food price, bringing a state of global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. Over 1.1 billion people live in extreme poverty earning less than $1 USD per day and over half the population of planet earth live on less than $2.50 USD per day.
The Encarnacao Alliance is Taking Action
A growing number of individuals and organizations are becoming
increasingly aware of the magnitude of these changes. But what will
they do about it? “What can I do?” you may ask. “I’m just one person.”
The answer is – a lot! You can make a big difference! If each one of us
was to do something, ...anything, and we all worked together, we could
have an extraordinary impact! And that is precisely what the Encarnacao Alliance is attempting to do; help ordinary people make an
extraordinary difference in the lives of the poor and needy people we
serve in over 80 nations. That is what this concept paper is all about.
Emerging technologies and societal trends are setting the stage for a
new way of impacting the world. We are now able to effectively network
people and resources across a wide range of private sector skills with
participants from businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGO),
faith-based and civic groups and academic institutions.
The Encarnacao Alliance is using the Internet and social networking concepts to evolve a decentralized starfish-like network. Simultaneously, we are working to understand the causal factors and principles that impact the emergence of mass movements in order to better influence the direction and outcomes of such a movement.
Our ultimate goal is to combine and leverage the attributes of
social networking, decentralized Encarnacao Alliances, and those of an
emerging mass movement. By doing so, we hope to catalyze, support,
empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized
starfish-like mass movement that will enable ordinary people to make an
extraordinary difference on a daily basis!
In some ways, the Encarnacao Alliance can be explained as a connector of networks. Relational networks of the community encompass nearly every nation of the world and a significant number of the more than 12,000 ethno-linguistic people groups. As a connector, the community mobilizes resources across the whole private sector including businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based and civic groups, and academic institutions. Relief and development models provide the framework for identifying and mobilizing 26 different categories of subject matter expert skill sets. Expanding social networks represent a broad range of private sector skill sets and participants from around the world. The growing question is, “How do we optimize these networks and connections to make a bigger difference?”
With this in mind, understanding the interactive dynamics of large social networks will help us to interact more effectively and to accomplish more working together. The purpose of this section is to explore three significant types of social network concepts including:
Following a review of these concepts, we will explore a convergence of their attributes and characteristics from an operational perspective with the intent to leverage aspects of each for greater impact. By doing so, we hope to catalyze, support, empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized starfish mass movement.
This section will be focused on addressing concepts. Practical application of these concepts relative to specific community operations will be addressed in a later section.
Why do people join a social network? Eric Hoffer, in “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements” states that community and equality are the passion of the masses. For some its about business, for others its about sharing a common cause, but for most, it is simply about belonging and equality.
Research in a number of academic fields has shown that social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.
In its simplest form, a social network is a map of all relevant ties between the nodes being studied. The network can also be used to determine the social capital of individual actors. These concepts are often displayed in a social network diagram, where nodes are the points and ties are the lines.
Connecting the Community
Communities
have various levels of belonging. Lets explore online communities
(OLC), since the Internet represents the prime social networking
platform. Most OLCs consist of three social rings -- a densely
connected core in the center, loosely connected fragments in the second
ring, and an outer ring of disconnected nodes, commonly known as
lurkers.
Map of an online social networking community
In this diagram, we see three distinct types of people in our community -- designated by blue, green and red nodes. The proportion of nodes in each ring in this overall population is fairly typical of online communities -- the isolates [lurkers] outnumber the highly-connected.
The outer orbit in the network above contains the blue nodes. They have been attracted to the OLC, but have not connected yet. This group is the most likely to leave the OLC or remain passive members with little or no contribution to the community. Lurkers in online communities are often more than 60% of the group!
The green nodes have a few connections -- usually with prior acquaintances. They are not connected to the larger community -- no sense of belonging yet. The small clusters of friendships amongst the greens can be maintained by other media and do not need a particular OLC to survive. They are also likely to leave or become passive and will likely do so in unison.
The inner core of the community is composed of red nodes. They are very involved and have formed a connected cluster. The leaders of the OLC are embedded in the core. The core members will stay and build the community. Unfortunately they are in the minority. The core nodes are usually less than 20% of most online groups. Although small, they are a powerful force of attraction. It is the core that is committed and loyal to the OLC and will work on making it a success. They see a win-win for themselves and the group -- better connectivity will help the individual and the group simultaneously.
Sustaining a Social Network
Online communities and social networks are often conceived and
developed by businesses and organizations that focus on: "How can we
use the online community to benefit us?" They fail at community
development by not creating a strategy that makes sure their target
audience is gaining a positive experience and practical benefits from
participating in the community. It is amazing how organizations build
online social networks but ignore the needs of the very people they are
trying to attract and influence. Its no surprise, then, when large
chunks of their target group leave when the "next big thing" comes
around: SixDegrees→Friendster→Orkut→MySpace→Facebook→Next? To build a
vibrant and growing network, you need to support natural human
behavior, not work against it.
Connections are key in online social networks -- people are loyal to what they are connected to and what provides them benefits. People stick with established ties they trust. Interacting with those we know and trust brings a sense of warmth and belonging to the virtual communities we visit via our computer screens. Yet, we are open to meeting new people -- as long as we are introduced by those we trust. An established community, with dense interconnectivity, not only keeps existing members happy, but is also a large magnet for contacts of current members -- everyone wants to be connected and included in vibrant communities that provide benefits to members!
Building Connections
Networks and communities are built on connections. Better connections
usually provide better opportunities. But, what are better connections,
and how do they lead to more effective and productive networks and
communities? How do we build connected networks that create, and take
advantage of, opportunities in their region or marketplace? How does
success emerge from the complex interactions within networks?
This section investigates building sustainable communities through improving their connectivity – internally and externally – using network ties to create economic opportunities. Improved connectivity is created through an interactive process of knowing the network and knitting the network. Knowing the network involves mapping the network. There are a host of social network tools available to accomplish this objective. Information can be found at www.orgnet.com from which much of the information in this section was gathered.
A vibrant community network is generally built or “knit” in four phases, each with its own distinct topology. Each phase builds a more adaptive and resilient network structure than the prior phase. Network mapping can be used to track progress through these four stages.
1) Scattered Fragments - Experience shows that most communities start as small emergent clusters organized around common interests or goals. Usually these clusters are isolated from each other. They are very small groups of 1-5 people or organizations that have connected out of necessity. If these fragments do not organize further, the community structure remains weak and under- producing. Begin weaving the network by asking questions:
Network weaving can be accomplished a number of different ways. (7 is Best, 1 is Least)
7. Introducing A and B in person and offering a collaboration opportunity to get A and B started in a successful partnership
6. Introducing A and B in person and contacting A and B afterward to nurture the connection
5. Introducing A and B in person
4. Doing a conference call introduction of A and B
3. Doing an email introduction of A and B
2. Suggesting to A that A should talk with B and then contacting B to let B know to expect a call from A
1. Suggesting to A that A should talk with B
2) Single Hub-and-Spoke - Without active leaders who take responsibility for building a network, spontaneous connections between groups emerge very slowly, or not at all. We call this active leader a network weaver. Instead of allowing these fragments to drift in the hope of making a lucky connection, network weavers actively create new interactions among them. Network weavers begin with a hub and spoke network, with the weaver as the hub. The weaver has the vision, the energy, and the social skills to connect to diverse individuals and groups and start information flowing to and from them. The weavers usually have external links outside of the community to bring in information and ideas. This is a critical phase for community building because everything depends on a weaver who is the hub in the network. However, if multiple weavers are working in the same community, we may get independent multiple hub and spoke networks, with limited overlap between them.
3) Multi-Hub Small-World Network - The transition from network weaver to network facilitator is critical. The weaver is identifying and mentoring new weavers who will eventually take over much of the network building and maintenance.
If the transition is not made, then, the community network remains dependent on the central weaver and his/her organization. At the transition point the weaver changes from being a direct leader to an indirect leader, influencing new emergent leaders appearing throughout the community. This transition is necessary for the network to increase its scale, impact and reach.
Now that other hubs [network weavers] are emerging in the network, the various weavers begin to connect to each other, creating a multi-hub community. Not only is this network topology less fragile, it is also the best design to minimize the average path length throughout the network – remember, the shorter the hops the better for work flow, information exchange and knowledge sharing! Information percolates most quickly through a network where the best-connected nodes are all connected to each other.
4) Core/Periphery The end goal for vibrant, sustainable community networks is the core/periphery model. This topology emerges after many years of network weaving by multiple hubs. It is a stable structure that can link to other well-developed networks in other regions. The network core in this model contains the key community members, including many who are network weavers, and have developed strong ties amongst themselves. The periphery of this network contains three groups of nodes that are usually tied to the core through looser ties:
The periphery allows us to reach ideas and information not currently prevalent in our network. The core allows us to act on those ideas and information. The periphery is the open, porous boundary of the community network. It is where new members/ideas come and go. The periphery monitors the environment, while the core implements what is discovered and deemed useful.
To summarize, starting with a disconnected community, network builders can start weaving together the necessary skills and resources to build simple single-hub networks, followed by a more robust multi-hub network, concluding with a resilient core/periphery structure – maximized for innovation and implementation.
Bridging Clusters
Working
in isolated clusters is fine if the world around you is not changing.
Bridging clusters allows everyone to learn and exchange perspectives
and ideas. Connections create cross-fertilization and innovation
usually follows.
Shape of Networks
The shape of a social network helps determine a network's usefulness to its individuals. Smaller, tighter networks can be less useful to their members than networks with lots of loose connection (weak ties) to individuals outside the main network.
More open networks, with many weak ties and social connections, are more likely to introduce new ideas and opportunities to their members than closed networks with many redundant ties. In other words, a group of friends who only do things with each other already share the same knowledge and opportunities. A group of individuals with connections to other social worlds is likely to have access to a wider range of information. It is better for individual success to have connections to a variety of networks rather than many connections within a single network. Similarly, individuals can exercise influence or act as brokers within their social networks by bridging two networks that are not directly linked (called filling structural holes)
Vibrant and Effective Networks
What does a vibrant, effective community network look like? Research
has been done to discover the qualities of vibrant networks.
Sociologists, physicists, mathematicians, and management consultants
have all discovered similar answers about effective networks. The
amazing discovery is that people in organizations, routers on the
Internet, cells in a nervous system, molecules in protein interactions,
animals in an ecosystem, and pages on the WWW are all organized in
efficient network structures that have similar properties.
Five general patterns are observed in all effective networks:
1. Birds of a feather flock together: nodes link together because of common attributes, goals or governance.
2. At the same time diversity is important. Though clusters form around
common attributes and goals, vibrant networks maintain connections to
diverse nodes and clusters. A diversity of connections is required to
maximize innovation within the network.
3. Robust networks have several paths between any two nodes. If several
nodes or links are damaged or removed, other pathways exist for
uninterrupted information flow among the remaining nodes.
4. Some nodes are more prominent than others – they are either hubs1, brokers 2, or boundary spanners.
5. They are critical to network health.
6. Most nodes in the network are connected by an indirect link in the
network. A-B-C-D shows a direct link between A and B, but indirect
links between A and C and A and D. Yet, the average path length in the
network tends to be short. There are very few long paths in the network
that lead to delay and distortion of information flow and knowledge
exchange.
The Starfish and the Spider Most of us known that a spider is a creature with eight legs coming out of a central body. With a magnifying glass, we can see that the spider also has a tiny head and eight eyes. If you chop off the spider’s head, it dies. It could maybe survive without a leg or two, and probably even stand to lose a couple of eyes, but it certainly couldn’t survive without its head. The spider has a centralized control system that is similar to most organizations.
A starfish, at first glance, is similar to a spider in appearance. Like the spider, the starfish appears to have a bunch of legs coming out of a central body. But that’s where the similarities end. The starfish is decentralized. With a spider, what you see is pretty much what you get. A body is a body, a head is a head and a leg is a leg. But starfish are very different. The starfish does not have a head. Its central body is not even in charge. In fact, the major organs are replicated throughout each and every leg. If you cut the starfish in half, the animal doesn’t die, it regenerates.
Starfish have an incredible quality to them: if you cut a leg off, most species will grow a new leg. And with some varieties, such as the Linckia, or long armed starfish, the animal can replicate itself from a single piece of a leg. You can cut the Linckia into a bunch of pieces, and each one will regenerate into a whole new starfish. They can achieve this magical regeneration because in reality, a starfish is a neural network – basically a network of cells. Instead of having a head like a spider, the starfish functions as a decentralized network. For the starfish to move a leg, it must convince the other legs that it is a good idea to do so. The leg starts moving, and then, in a process that no one fully understands, the other legs move and cooperate as well. There is no brain to make a decision. The starfish doesn’t have a brain, or a central command. Similar to the starfish, there are a host of emerging organizations that function in a decentralized manner like the starfish. Examples include such entities as Visa, Skype, Craig’s List, Wikipedia, Alcoholics Anonymous and Apache Software, to name a few.
Legs of a Encarnacao Alliance
In his book “The Starfish and the Spider” author, Ori Brafman,
identifies five legs upon which a decentralized network stands. As with
the starfish, it can lose one or two legs and still survive. But when
you have all five legs working together, a decentralized network can
really take off.
Leg 1 – Circles
Circles are important to nearly every
decentralized network. They provide the vehicle for independent and
autonomous operation. Characteristics of circles include:
Leg 2 – The Catalyst
A Catalyst is any element or compound
that initiates a reaction without fusing into that reaction. In a
decentralized organization, a Catalyst is a person who initiates a
reaction and gets the organization going and then fades into the
background by ceding control to the members. In letting go of the
Leadership role, the Catalyst transfers ownership and responsibility to
the circle or decentralized organization. Once the Catalyst moves on,
however, their presence is still felt as they provide the inspirational
motivation to continue to spur others to action. Additional
characteristics of the Catalyst include:
Most Catalysts draw upon similar tools to operate and get the job done. Catalysts’ tools include:
Leg 3 – Ideology
Ideology is the glue that holds
decentralized networks together. It is more than a sense of community
or the desire to create a better world. It is a common set of beliefs
or values that inspire members to fight and sacrifice of themselves for
a common cause. These common beliefs define the norms or values of the
network, which in turn, dictate the cultural DNA. Since there is no
central command and control structure in a decentralized network, a
clearly defined ideology is central to controlling behaviors. The
greater the common cause and the stronger the ideology, the longer the
network will last.
Leg 4 – The Pre-Existing Network
Almost every decentralized
network that has made it big was launched from a pre-existing platform.
But gaining entrance into a pre-existing network is not as simple as
just showing up with a good idea. Centralized organizations are not
setup to launch decentralized movements. Without Circles, there is not
the infrastructure for people to get involved and take ownership of a
new idea. Circles provide the vehicle to put people together in a
close-knit community of empowered members with shared values and a
belief that everyone is equal. Loose knit social networks provide the
ideal breeding ground for decentralized circles and typically have a
higher tolerance for innovation. Typically it takes the special skills
of the Catalyst entering the social network to birth a decentralized
movement, but today the Internet also provides an ideal launch pad for
new Encarnacao Alliances, by enabling rapid and simple communication and
active participation.
Leg 5 – The Champion
The Champion is a restless pioneer in
promoting a new idea. Catalysts are charismatic, but champions take the
necessary steps to move the network forward to the next level.
Catalysts inspire and naturally connect people, but there is nothing
subtle about the Champion. Characteristics include:
When a Catalyst joins up with a Champion to architect a movement, create self-empowered circles, tap into an ideology whose time has come, and draw upon a pre-existing network, they can change the course of history.
A flat, decentralized world
The Internet has forever changed our world. The speed and access of
global communications has leveled or flattened the competitive playing
field to the point that a single individual in the developing world can
effectively compete against a large established company in the West. In
a flat, decentralized world, there are dis-economies of scale where a
single person or small team can financially and operationally disrupt
whole industries. A shy engineer by the name of Craig Newmark never
dreamed that the site he launched, to post online listings in the San
Francisco Bay Area, would nearly bankrupt the entire newspaper
industry. Few could have believed that a new decentralized
telecommunications network called Skype could radically impact the
entire telephone industry. The world is becoming flatter and more
decentralized by the day.
Decentralizing a Centralized Organization
With the rise of starfish-like decentralized networks, the more common
centralized hierarchical organizations are increasingly faced with a
formidable challenge; decentralize, learn to effectively interface with
decentralized networks, or face possible extinction. Whole economies,
like the newspaper and telephone industries, are on the brink of
extinction by emerging decentralized networks like Craig’s List and
Skype. How do you know if your organization is centralized or
decentralized? Review these questions provide by Ori Brafman in “The
Starfish and the Spider”.
1. Is there a person in charge?
2. Are there headquarters?
3. If you thump it on the head, will it die?
4. Is there a clear division of roles?
5. If you take out a unit, is the organization harmed?
6. Are knowledge and power concentrated or distributed?
7. Is the organization flexible or rigid?
8. Can you count the employees or participants?
9. Are working groups funded by the organization, or are they self-funded?
10. Do working groups communicate directly or through intermediaries?
Ori summarizes the Eight Principles of Decentralization as follows:
1. When attacked, a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized
2. It is easy to mistake a Starfish for a Spider
3. An open system does not have central intelligence; it is spread throughout the system
4. Open systems can easily mutate
5. The decentralized organization sneaks up on you (because it mutates so quickly)
6. As industries become decentralized, overall profits decrease – that
is why you want to watch out for them before they take an industry by
storm
7. Put people into an open system, and they will automatically want to contribute
8. When attacked, centralized organizations tend to become even more centralized
One of the greatest challenges in decentralizing a centralized
organization is that of financial sustainability. As an organization
decentralizes, overall profits decrease. Decentralized organizations
must be innovative in developing financial income streams.
In a time of accelerating change, social structures around the world are under attack. Families and communities are being disrupted and undergoing decay. Natural and man-made disasters, food shortages and global migration all feed into and heighten the problem. The global environment is ripening for the emergence of mass movements.
The purpose of this section is to understand the causal factors and principles that impact the emergence of a mass movement and how we might be able to catalyze and influence the direction and outcomes of such a movement. Our hope is that we might catalyze a mass movement that will provide a platform for “Connecting Resources to Needs” for the poor and underprivileged people in developing nations.
Adherents to Mass Movements
It is imperative that we understand the strength and depth of the
convictions of adherents to mass movements. Awareness of their
commitment helps us to understand the influence and impact they have
within their social structures. They are a powerful force to be
reckoned with. Most adherents to mass movements come with a similar
mindset. As such, most movements are interchangeable. One movement can
be substituted or birthed from another. Adherents typically embody the
following characteristics:
Environmental Factors that Set the Stage for a Mass Movement
There are a host of environmental factors that help to set the stage
for the emergence of a mass movement. The decentralization of networks
and organizations, and the disruption of social structures, have
already been discussed. In his book “The True Believer: Thoughts on the
Nature of Mass Movements”, author Eric Hoffer provides a more
comprehensive list to include the following.
One of the closing statements in Eric Hoffer’s book summarizes the power and impact of emerging mass movements.
“In democracies people are too soft, too pleasure loving and too selfish to die for a nation, a God or a holy cause. This lack of a readiness to die, we are told, is indicative of an inner rot – a moral and biological decay. The democracies are old, corrupt and decadent. They are no match for the virile congregations of the faithful who are about to inherit the earth.”
There is much truth to this statement. But not all mass movements need to be negative. Accelerations in information, technologies, and the Internet have already created a rapid and positive mass movement, or migration, for billions of people to a new way of communicating and sharing information on a global scale.
Similarly, these advancements can enable a correlating mass migration in the way ordinary people are able to help one another. As a result, our intent is to facilitate and influence the emergence of a mass movement that enables a global tribe of like-minded practitioners that are bound by a common cause to serve the poor and needy.
Our goal then is to develop, promote, and make available, an established venue so that ordinary people can easily engage to make an extraordinary difference. We need to proclaim a bold and immediate hope for the future, one that is both doable and achievable. We need passionate Leadership to rally the disillusioned and disenfranchised to this immediate hope, inspire them to action, and consolidate and leverage resources to serve the poor and needy.
Activities that support the emergence of a Mass Movement
Many factors ultimately impact the emergence of a mass movement.
Leaders cannot create the conditions that make a mass movement
successful. There must be intense dissatisfaction with things as they
currently exist. The right leaders often wait many long years in the
wings for the environment to ripen and bring forth a movement. Breeding
discontent or championing the reasonableness or legitimacy of a new way
cannot initiate a mass movement. When the environment is ripe, the
following list provides the types of activities that will help
influence the launch and direction of a mass movement:
Operational support to a mass movement
A mass movement typically emerges as a spontaneous reaction of the
masses to some type of precipitating event(s) that is pioneered by Men
of Words into a common cause, and materialized by Inspirational Leaders
into a mass movement. There are certain types of operations that
organizations can provide to support the emerging movement such as:
Mass movements can emerge rapidly and elicit large-scale drastic changes. We would do well to understand their nature and causal factors. In doing so, our hope is to influence their direction and outcomes.
When hopes and dreams are loose in the streets, it is well for the timid to lock the doors, shutter the windows, and lie low until the wrath has passed for there is often a monstrous incongruity between the hopes, however noble and tender, and the actions which follow them.
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
The purpose of this section is to combine and leverage the characteristics and attributes of the three types of social network concepts reviewed including:
By doing so, we hope to understand the operational requirements to catalyze, support, empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized starfish mass movement. The following thoughts and concepts are provided in the context of an operational nature to identify potential areas of support and focus for the Encarnacao Alliance to catalyze a movement. This section will be focused on addressing the following operational concepts: (Specific issues related to community operations will be addressed in detail in a later section.)
Culture and Ideology
In a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, there is no one
in control. There is no operational chain of command or central
headquarters. Even when building a social network, the network weaver
is focused on raising up new leaders to take over the Leadership role.
As a result, an ideology is the primary means of controlling how the
adherents behave.
A group’s ideology is composed of a set of shared values or common beliefs. These values or common beliefs define the cultural DNA of the group. People of a common cultural DNA will typically gravitate to one another. Sometimes we talk about being of the same “tribe”. The stronger the ideology, the more influence it has over actions, even to the point of people being willing to give up their life for the cause. Additional thoughts on a core ideology include:
In additional to ideology, the culture of the Encarnacao Alliance must promote community and camaraderie. Though a common cause will focus actions, and some will join a network for financial gain, most adherents to networks and mass movement join because they are looking for a culture of community that meets their personal need for equality and belonging.
A Common Cause
A common cause is a powerful tool for unified action within a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement. Different adherents may engage for different
reasons but they all have a common cause or outcome they are working
together and joining forces to achieve. As the old saying goes,
“nothing unites the troops like a common enemy”. The common cause or
defined outcome must be specific enough to cause defined action but
broad enough to cover a wide range of potential skill sets of the
adherents that join the network or movement.
Structure
The
structure of the Encarnacao Alliance should be decentralized with
independent and autonomous Circles or cells being empowered by leaders
and catalysts. With a lack of hierarchy, all members of the network are
considered equal and work together for a common cause. In a completely
decentralized Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, the following
characteristics may exist:
Hybrid organizations may support and empower the network or movement to achieve their designated outcomes or common cause by providing value added services. In the case of , establishing a venue or platform to centralize and share information may be of significant value
Leadership and Management
In all three social network concepts explored, a small loose connection
of people can have a large amount of influence and power. In all cases,
and particularly when no one is in charge, the amount of power and
influence leaders exercise is determined by the strength and trust of
the relational connections.
In all cases, leaders are necessary to inspire and lead the people into united action. Management and decision-making needs to be decentralized to the front lines of operation where knowledge, creativity, innovation and ownership are greatest.
Each of the social network concepts we have explored requires different types of Leadership summarized by the following.
If we converge the requirements of all three concepts, we end up with primarily two types of Leadership. It takes both working together to catalyze, inspire, empower, and establish the network.
Knowledge, Information, and Communications
In a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, knowledge is greatest on the
front line, at the edge of the network. When it comes to social
networking, innovation and creativity lie at the intersection point of
different social clusters. The operational focus should be for
information to be shared and decentralized throughout the network.
Communications across the network should occur directly between members versus through intermediaries or through an established chain of command. The operational focus should be to establish a communications platform to enable and enhance interaction between individual members across the network.
Finances and Resources
As organizations or industries decentralize, profits decrease. In a
pure Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, there are no paid positions or
titles because they create turf wars and focus on interests of personal
gain and betterment. When people in a mass movement begin to focus on
personal interests, the dynamic growth stage of the movement has ended
and people are now looking to stabilize and establish the movement.
Individual units (Circles, cells) should be largely self-funded with unit leaders primarily responsible for acquiring and managing their own funds. The overall power or influence of the network or movement is proportional to the strength of the relational connections and the number of members or adherents. The ideal situation is that it costs nothing to add a member and each new member makes the network more valuable. With every new member, there are more resources within the network.
Training
Training must be a core component of any social network. Transfer of
cultural DNA, sharing of information, and utilizing an established
process or platform all requires some type of training. In addition,
capturing lessons learned and sharing best practices optimizes
performance.
Operations
In
a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance, small Circles of 6-12 people are the
key to action, creativity and ownership. As ordinary people become
equal members, the Circle is empowered and gains greater influence and
capability. Circles should be able to operate independently with
autonomy. Leveraging the power of the Circles across a network or mass
movement is enabled through information sharing and communications.
Information sharing provides for a common picture, allowing adherents
to self- synchronize their efforts without any chain of command.
Equality is the passion of the masses. Circles provide the ideal social setting to establish a strong sense of community and equality necessary for adherents. The operational imperative is for all newcomers to find an immediate place to plug in. Everyone should be able to participate and find equality and community. Assimilation is ensured through a sense of belonging and a defined ideology that controls behavior within the community.
Small Circles should be used to address issues and resolve challenges that the network or movement might face. For problem-solving or innovation, Circles should be provided with resources and released to address the issue as they see fit. People commit to what they help create. Performance metrics to monitor, measure, and manage the health and strength of the network should be through the vitality of the small Circles.
In a social network, strength of the network and performance are measured through such metrics as centrality (degree, betweenness, closeness), network centralization, network reach, boundary spanners, and peripheral players.
A centralized organization can decentralize the user experience through practices like User Ratings, a safety factor like that used in PayPal, and ongoing opportunities for public comments that have impact to their reputation.
Performance
Performance in a decentralized network or movement is best measured by
the successful of the social vehicle used to carry out the actions of
the network. For a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, success might be
measured by the strength and vitality of the Circles or communal
structure established, for a social network it may be the strength and
centrality of the connection. If the focus of a group of circles is
community transformation, then performance metrics must be chosen that
are relative to the success of the community.
Change Management
In a world of accelerating change, organizational flexibility and
adaptation have become survival skills. But they are the natural order
for decentralized Encarnacao Alliances and mass movements. They are both
marked by their ability for rapid and drastic adaptation and
transformation. This is enabled by spontaneous intra-network
information sharing and empowered Circles that can operate
independently. Decentralization involves chaos, but also provides a
platform for creativity and innovation, essential for growth and
adaptation.
When under attack or threat from the environment, Encarnacao Alliances become more decentralized while centralized organizations become more centralized and consolidated. Starfish organizations naturally adapt to change while centralized organizations resist change. The typical evolution of an industry or environment is from decentralized chaos, to centralized organization, and then back to decentralization by distributive networks. The final stage is decentralized but instead of chaos, you have a distributive network that can function independently and with autonomy.
In the previous section, we explored the different characteristics of social networking, decentralized Encarnacao Alliances and the emergence of mass movements. The attributes and characteristics of these social network concepts were then combined and viewed from an operational perspective.
The purpose of this section is to explain how the Encarnacao Alliance is evolving with the intent to facilitate the emergence of a mass movement built around a common cause. The following concepts are included:
The Encarnacao Alliance is focused on connecting a global “tribe” with a common cause to help the urban poor. The Mission of the community is to identify like-minded tribal members all over the world and connect them together into a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance that can share information, communications and training resources. The ENcarnacao Alliancetranscends all sectors of society and encompasses representatives from across the private sector, including businesses, NGOs, faith-based and civic groups, and academic institutions. It costs nothing to add new members to the community and with each new member resources across the network grow.
Not all people we meet will become part of this tribe, have the same cultural DNA, or fit into this network. But our hope is that all who want to participate will have a place to immediately plug in, become part of the community, and help change the world. We want to birth a movement out of the Encarnacao Alliance where ordinary people can make a significant difference in the life of someone in need.
In the previous, we addressed the operational requirements to catalyze, support, empower, and influence the establishment of a decentralized starfish mass movement. Concepts were provided in the context of an operational nature in order to identify potential areas of support and focus for the Encarnacao Alliance to catalyze a movement. This section will be focused on addressing specific issues related to Encarnacao Alliance operations using the same categories including:
Culture and Ideology
The following list of attributes defines the culture and ideology of
Encarnacao Alliance members. Each of these attributes will be expanded
with correlating behavior statements developed so everyone can
understand specifically what is being presented as our culture and
ideology.
Our values will be inculcated throughout the network by:
A Common Cause
Our common cause is to “Connect Resources to Needs” for the urban poor
Structure
For
a Encarnacao Alliance or mass movement, small circles provide the ideal
communal structure and are the key to successful operations.
Circles should be comprised of 6-12 members that are working together towards a common cause. They should be able to operate independently and with autonomy. Circles should also be able to communicate with the larger Encarnacao Alliance to share information and resources and conduct collaborative initiatives. Since the breadth and scope of the social network is very large, communications and connectivity will initially be established through trusted relationships and expanded to new Circles of influence by participation online at www.urbanleaders.org.
Ongoing interaction with the Encarnacao Alliance can occur through collaborative initiatives, resource sharing (giving and receiving), and interactive online initiatives like country specific wiki reports, and regional and sector collaboration.
Circles can be formed by anyone, anywhere that wants to join the Encarnacao Alliance. When forming, Circle members should determine what type of project they would like to focus on. This could include any one or more of the 14 disaster relief services or 12 development categories outlined in the Relief (IDR) and Development (HIST) Models provided on the website.
It is recommended that Circle members set some type of schedule to ensure they meet on a regular basis. Equality and community is a driving desire of most adherents. Being able to meet together regularly and successfully, accomplishing initiatives around a common cause, creates a strong sense of community and equality.
Drawing from our exploration of the concept of social networking, the Network Weaver builds or knits the network in the following four stages. These stages should be referred to for establishment of the Circles.
Leadership and Management Leadership and management of starfish-minded organizations participating in the Encarnacao Alliance should actively engage in defining and carrying out the functions outlined below. As starfish-minded organizations engage the larger Encarnacao Alliance, Leadership and management will be decentralized across the network. The primary focus of Inspirational Leadership will be to:
The primary focus of Operational Management will be to:
Knowledge, Information, and Communications
Knowledge and information will be decentralized and distributed across
all adherents to the network through such things as increased
communications, interactive Internet platforms, and gatherings.
Communications will be encouraged through facilitation of Leadership venue, development and implementation of models, regional networking initiatives, collaborative projects and resource sharing
Finances and Resources
There are no fees for participants to join the network. Adherents are expected to acquire and manage their own funding.
Training
serves the Encarnacao Alliance by providing the following types of training:
Training on the starfish concept is provided to help organizations understand the Encarnacao Alliance cultural DNA, concept and network. Training on the HIST and IDR Models is provided as a proven process for practically engaging a comprehensive range of practitioners in community development and disaster response operations.
Operations
Small Circles will be promoted and developed across the network.
Circles should be used to address issues and resolve challenges that
the network might face.
Performance
Success will ultimately be measured by the vitality and effectiveness
of the Circles. Are they doing projects? Are they giving and or
receiving resources? Are people being helped? Are ordinary people able
to make a significant impact in the lives of others?
In the Encarnacao Alliance, strength of the network and performance might be measured through such metrics as centrality (degree, betweenness, closeness), network centralization, network reach, boundary spanners, and peripheral players. A well-connected node (individual or organization):
Change Management
Change management and adaptability across the network will be enhanced by:
This final section provides a look at all the value added services and capabilities that are now available to the Encarnacao Alliance. With each new member joining the network, the overall resources available to members will grow. Available capabilities will be explained within the following categories below and posted on the website for interested viewers and updated on an ongoing basis.
Infrastructure and Services Support to the Encarnacao Alliance
A strategic decision is needed to invest in infrastructure
that could serve and enable the greater Encarnacao Alliance.
The Allaince continues to look for organizations to partner with for provision of training services for the Encarnacao Alliance. The community would benefit greatly from those that can provide training on more technical or in-depth subject matter within and across the 23 categories. Organizations or individuals interested in participating should contact the Training Director.
Additional Encarnacao Alliance Networks, Alliances and Opportunities
Most of the services outlined below, are also currently operational and available to Encarnacao Alliance members.
MA in Transformational Urban Leadership
The Encarnacao Alliance is networking partners around the world to
identify, train, and collaborate in delivering training for Slum Movement Leaders. Qualified partners are graduating a growing network of skilled practitioners for training
Grassroots City Learning Network
The Encarnacao Alliance includes a growing number of organizations that
specialize in rapid disaster response and assessment activities. In
addition, many local practitioners are joining together to form Local
Coordination Teams for their own regions.
Organizations receiving Encarnacao Alliance training can be qualified in the Network as trainers.
Organizations interested in participating on the global IDR Network disaster response teams should contact the IDRN Director.
Hope Resource Network
The Hope Resource Network (HRN) was formed to network warehouses and
logistics partners that are interested in working together for relief
and development operations. There is currently over 3 million sq. ft.
of warehouse space and 40 members and locations in the network with
operations expanding globally.
The HRN allows members of the Encarnacao Alliance to mobilize and manage a myriad of different types of gift-in-kind (GIK) resources for relief and development operations. Through our own Hope Warehouse and the HRN, has supported container shipments to over 30 countries each year with materials ranging from hospital and school supplies to warm clothing and shoes. Contact the HRN Manager if you would like to join this network.
In the previous section, we explored the actions being taken to connect and network a decentralized Encarnacao Alliance. We also reviewed the capabilities that have been developed and made available to the Encarnacao Alliance including infrastructure and services.
In this section, we will explore how interested organizations and individuals can immediately plug into the Encarnacao Alliance and begin making a difference. A flowchart is provided as Attachment 1. The following concepts are included in this section.
The Encarnacao Alliance is a global network based on strong personal relationships. Many members of the community have been working together for years, while others are relatively new. Regardless of how long a member has been interactive in the network, we all have one thing in common-- a desire to bring hope and a future to the urban poor of the world. As a network of networks, the Encarnacao Alliance is committed to “Connecting Learning Resources to Needs”. The goal is to provide a venue for ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of those in need.