Reg egio ional nal Ne Netw twor orks: ks: Cr Creati eating - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Reg egio ional nal Ne Netw twor orks: ks: Cr Creati eating ng an and Mai d Maint ntaini aining ng Pu Purp rpos ose e an and Vis d Visio ion Presen esented ed by: : Mag aggie gie Ullman an, , Networ work k Ad
Presen esented ed by: : Mag aggie gie Ullman an, , Networ work k Ad Advisor, visor, As Ashev heville, le, NC maggie@saenv.com | 828.713.9488 Networ twork k Evolu
tion: n: Connect ect. . Alig ign.
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This is presen esentati ation is to the Regi gion
al Network tworks s Coord rdinati ating ng Comm mmitte tee, e, on Oc October ber 23, 2015. . It’s purpose is to presen esent the best st prac acti tice ce of Network twork Purpose rpose and Vision sion developme elopment t and main inte tenan ance, ce, inc ncludin luding: :
t the prac acti tice ce is and looks s like
actice tice is worthwhile rthwhile
d do it and when en
, with ith examples mples
Partner Networks Network Participants Representing Green Cities California (GCC) Linda Giannelli Pratt Erik Pearson Shannon Parry ALTERNATE- Susana Reyes GCC Managing Director (Coordinator) Hayward, CA Santa Monica, CA Los Angeles, CA Great Lakes Matt Naud Matt Gray Ann Arbor, MI Cleveland, OH Heartland T.O. Bowman Brenda Nations Oklahoma City, OK Iowa City, IO Michigan Green Communities (MGC) Dave Norwood Sandra Diorka Jaime Kidwell-Brix Dearborn, MI Delhi, MI MGC Coordinator (Coordinator) New England Municipal Sustainability Network (NEMSN) Troy Moon Cyndi Veit Kelsey O'Neil Virginia LeClair Portland, ME EPA- (Coordinator) EPA- (Coordinator) Dedham, MA Ohio, Kansas, Indiana (OKI) Larry Faulkin Lamees Mubaslat Cincinnati, OH Montgomery County, OH Prairie State Network (PSN) Catherine Hurley Dan Hughes Evanston, IL PSN Coordinator (Coordinator) Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN) Peter Nierengarten Robin Cox Meg Williams-Jamison Fayetteville, AR Huntsville, AL SSDN Coordinator Western Adaptation Alliance (WAA) Tamara Lawless Ashley Perl Flagstaff, AZ Aspen, CO
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A A VISION SION STATEMENT ATEMENT outli line nes s founding nding pri rincip ciples es that t dri rive ve the network
. A vis ision
ngs s shoul
.
The landscape on the horizon is something you are always walking towards. This horizon is always there as a guiding force to chart your course. A billboard image of what to work towards.
Think ink about
at needs ds to change.
gether, these se piec eces es creat eate e an overall erall vis ision
On Once a vis ision ion is articul ticulated ated, , it is used ed to commun munic icate ate and nd lead d the ne networ work. The e PURPOSE POSE of a network
ticula late tes s the reason son the network
as formed. med. It is the specifi ecific, c, conci cise se reason son for its exis isten ence. ce.
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For r a network
ge, the big igges est chal allen lenge ge in devel eveloping
ng a vis ision
ement t is being eing clear ar and conci cise se about
at activi ivities ties wil ill l be purs rsued ed.
The more a vision reflects what is really thought and cared about, the more powerful it will be. People will be more likely to respond to the message if they see passion for it, instead of political figures talking about abstract issues.
Network twork designers signers need d to identi dentify fy and artic icula late e the foundi nding ng pri rinci nciples les to catal alyze ze the network.
ar vis ision
statem ement ent wil ill giv ive e direc rection tion to future ure work. rk.
Dream big, put phrases on paper, pull out key words that are most compelling, and sand them into short powerful
Creating eating a comm mmitte ittee e and/or /or surveying rveying member mbers s wil ill l help lp deter ermine mine the interes erest areas as the network
sider er pri riorit
izing g in n the vis ision
ement. t.
Put a draft out there and let members respond to it and refine it. In networks putting your finger prints on shared work establishes ownership and buy in. Give members places to put their finger prints on things that matter to them.
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A network’s purpose is essentially its s reas ason
ing. . This is is a collection lection of foundin ding g pri rinc ncipl ples es for the network.
A pur urpose
ement needs ds to be broad
aptab able le so that t it has s the flexib xibility lity to rema main foundation ndational al through
fe and growt
h of the network.
Peer er-to to-peer sharing and learning is one of the most common starting points for a network’s purpose, rpose, so tap member mbers s for contrib ributi uting ng dir irecti ection n on artic icula lating ting that.
Purpo pose e Statemen ment t Exampl mple: : Michigan Green Communi uniti ties es MGC is a network of local government and university staff in the state of Michigan that will collaborate with one another, through peer learning and information sharing, to promote innovative solutions and move sustainability initiatives forward at the local, regional, and state level.
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Purpo pose Statement nt : The purpose of this network is to build capacity for community sustainability in the Southeast. SSDN strives to support members in their work, influence sustainable policies and programs at the local and state levels, and lead the advancement of national sustainability. Vision n Statement nt : SSDN strives to support members in their work, influence sustainable policies and programs at the local and state levels, and lead the advancement of national sustainability. This will be accomplished by:
build regional capacity;
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Networks tworks must st be carefull refully y desi signed ed. . When n developin eveloping g a ne networ work, , leaders ders must st weig eigh h poss ssible le imp mpac acts ts of decisio cisions ns in order der to foster er a strong
rpose and clear ar path th for future ure work.
e vis ision n and purpose rpose is the eleva evator
eech ch. . Lead aders ership hip changes anges over r the life fe of a network
. A well ll desig signed ed pur urpose
ision
tement ment will ll act as a groundi
g force ce as the ne networ work k grow
s. They are meant to be revisited over time for continued relevancy, yet shouldn’t require a complete redesig design. .
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Value ue prop
s are the benefits efits that members mbers wil ill l reali lize e by partic rticipa pati ting ng in the network
, both th individually and collectively. All members don’t need to value all propositions. But all members need to hig ighly hly value lue at least st one prop
ples s from USDN DN:
Have ve acces ess s to trusted sted infor
mation tion about ut urban an sustainabil ainability ity Keep ep abreast east with h my peer ers Get to know w colleag leagues ues with h whom
are Build ild the field ld of urban ban sustainabil ainability ity
Iden entify tify indi divi vidua ual l valu lue e prop
king membe bers rs directly.
ctive network
en offer
a menu nu of potentia ential l benefits efits from m parti ticipa cipati tion n to keep memb mbers ers engaged. aged. Having a clear understanding of a network’s individual and collective value proposition is what at makes es a network
eater r than n the sum of its parts.
is unders derstandi tanding ng shapes apes the vis ision n and purpose rpose. .
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Memb mbers ers create ate valu lue e for each h other er by shar aring ng indi divi vidua ual l assets.
e comp mpetenci etencies es shoul
mplement lement the end game me (visio sion n / purpose): rpose): Connections Can you connect others in the network to people who may be able and willing to help them? Knowledge Do you know something that may be valuable to others in the network? Competencies Do you have a skill that may be of value to others in the network? Resources Do you have access to funds or other resources that may be useful to others in the network?
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The e process
eate e the vis ision
nd purpose rpose ne needs eds to inv nvolv
e multi tipl ple e sets s of fing nger er pri rints nts from member mbers s who ho are motiva tivate ted and intereste erested d in the networks
ure. Networks tworks typic ical ally ly have e foundin ding leader ders s who ho join n toget ether her with th a common mon set of needs ds. . Ov Overti rtime me new leader ders s emerg erge e who ho have ve experie perienced ced value lue in n the ne networ work k and nd want nt to help lp deliver liver that value. lue.
These needs and values are translated into a vision and purpose that serves more than just individuals (WAA example) They are typically created before approaching perspective members and potential funders, but sometimes it’s more
Then, en, network
aders ers have e to show
lue e prop
ain n peer er buy-in in and funder der sup upport.
Founders unders and nd their eir succ ccess essors
rve as ne networ work weavers avers and nd servan rvant t leader ders s (no not dictat ctators),
nd allow
proces
s to be transparent nsparent and itera rati tive ve. . Recomm
ended ded Read ading: ng: the e Less ss Visib sible le Lead ader er
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Gui uiding ing statem ements ents help lp a network
y alig igne ned d with th its s orig iginal nal purpose, rpose, whi hile le imp mplemen lementing ting new prog
rams ms and process
es. . An effecti ctive e network
st (early rly and d often): n):
Articulate the Purpose Determine the target membership, the specific issues that the network will address, and the types of activities that the network will undertake. Create a Vision Statement Define the founding principles that drive the network. Establish the Value Propositions Identify what members want to get out of the network, and how this can be done collectively.
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Example: New England Municipal Sustainability Network
amongst and between municipal sustainability practitioners in New England
collaboration amongst municipalities and create working groups focused on tangible
initiatives
assist with local sustainability efforts
An Answe werin ring g the followin
g question estions s will ill help lp develop evelop a purpose rpose state tement: ment: Who is the network
What t problem
is the ne network
ddressing ing? What t type e of activi iviti ties es wil ill the network
dertake? e?
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Goals ls and nd objecti ective ves s are e a more re focus used ed look at wha hat the network
ishes es to pur ursu sue. e. Goals ls and objecti ective ves s shoul
ays bui uild ld on the e purpose rpose and vis ision n of the network.
is list st shoul
d embody body how a network
ts to imp mplement lement its s purpose. rpose. Attent ntion ion shoul
t on the conten ent of the goals ls and nd obje jective ctives.
twork
ders s should
us on th n the “what” instead of the “how” when developing goals and obje jectives ctives - after r the vis ision
rpose is devel evelope
d. Sur urve veys ys are an effective ctive way to understa derstand nd what at member mbers s value
is assi sists sts in the creati ation n of a collecti ective ve list st of goals ls and nd objecti ective ves s that t enh nhance ance the network’s value proposition. Goals ls and Ob Objective ectives need d to be reev eval alua uate ted regu regula larly rly to reflec ect the current rrent state e of the network
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1) 1) Network twork Visio sion: n: What founding principle(s) drives your network? 2) 2) Network twork Purpose: rpose:
a. Who is your network for? b. What generative problem is it working on? c. What type of activities will/ does the network undertake?
3) 3) Network twork Value ue Prop
ns:
a. What are the specific benefits that your members want to gain from participation? b. How can the network offer this collectively?
For more information, please contact: Maggie Ullman, Network Advisor maggie@saenv.com | 828.713.9488