Angels are Network-Centric: "It's A Wonderful Life"

Here is a wonderful article by Jed Miller and Rob Stuart pulling together some really great network-centric concepts and building out the language in some new ways. I really love the It's A Wonderful Life connection. I will recycle that frequently in future presentations.

When we try to describe network-driven advocacy, or technology strategy, or online community, jargon is often an obstacle. So we look for stories to explain the benefits of network thinking and networked action. Instead of proselytizing about "the power of networks," we remind people how Tom Sawyer got his fence painted. We explain how networks work like George Bailey's friends at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life" – they pass information quickly and pool their resources to make a difference.

New language! There are some other nuggets worth playing around with in the article as well. I have clipped a few below for further thoughts.

Candidates have been claiming to speak for commoners for centuries. The Dean campaign empowered constituents to speak for themselves, and to hear themselves speak, using an online platform created by the campaign..... initial MeetUp build-up was rooted in local, non-sponsored action. "Dean supporters do not drive 200 miles through 10 inches of snow to see a political candidate or a representative of his staff," wrote Samantha Shapiro in The New York Times Magazine. "They drive that far to see each other."

I know the same is true across the movement. There are no candidates and most of our staff do not go to conferences to read. The movement gets together to "see each other". River Network to Oceans and Climate Change the conferences of the movement are about taking time to sync personally the leaders of the movement. These conferences are about connecting and "wiring" the movement. The value of marches probably also is to "see each other".

In a cellular world, power is transactional, not institutional. Network-centric organizations measure their effectiveness not by how much money they raise or how much press they get, but by how well they are able to make fruitful connections between their constituents. Interactions are more important than broadcasts. The Dean campaign used MeetUp.com to bring Deaniacs together at local Starbucks, so they could generate ideas and projects on their own. The more MeetUps that took place, the more momentum the campaign took on. New Power groups are awake to the fact that that an organization's real authority exists among its extended community – online and off-line. Power is generated by citizens at the grass roots. What the organization provides is an opportunity for coordinated action.

I agree and disagree. I love the idea that power is transactional not institutional. However, the value in a network can also be measured in network throughput. The Dean campaign network was wonderful and unsuccessful. The network delivered political power to the candidate and transformed politics but it did not ultimately win. You can measure network health and value and you can cultivate it and make it grow. Ultimately, the Dean network did not produce results that the participants wanted and as soon as it stopped providing value to the participants the connections broke and formed around another healthier node.

Another interesting idea is that There are no penalties on late arrivals to the scene and no perks for early adopters. One campaign succeeds the next, and each new effort offers members the chance to participate in shaping the group's strategy. Politics, perks and campaigns almost always reward early adopters with control and perks. There is a tension among advocacy movement with groups fighting over turf or issue control. The work flow of campaigns often reinforces the centralization of power and the ideas that people that join later should have little influence over the campaign direction. The standard campaigns also struggle to bring new volunteers or participants "up to speed" and punish late comers by making them ask lots of useless questions.

A major objective for network-centric organizations is information sharing among participants. The better informed membership becomes, the more effective its decision making will be as new campaigns take shape. New Power invests in relationship building, knowledge management, and online community technologies that make it simple for individuals to sign up, contribute, and connect to valuable information. The arrangement, analysis, and presentation of information is a team effort. The easier it is for membership to communicate among its own ranks, the more likely it is that fruitful relationships will be generated. Network-centric organizations devote significant resources to expanding the capacity of the group's membership to perform.

Yahoo. Kudos to Jed and Rob