Invitation to a new blog by Steve Waddell.

Question: Why are you launching yet another blog?

Response: Because I am having incredible conversations with people who are working in big change networks and, with their blessing, I wish to share their knowledge with others.  Over the past six weeks I have interviewed Transparency International leaders Peter Eigen and Cobus de Swardt, IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefevre, Fair Labor Association CEO Andre van Heerden, Executive Head of the UN’s Global Compact Georg Kell, the Stop TB Parternship Executive Secretary Marcos Espinal, and Global Reporting Initiative Chief Executive Ernst Ligteringen.  They’re all facing very similar challenges, and sharing their knowledge can speed up the learning about how to create effective networks, and reduce repeating mistakes.  It can make connections between people who have similar questions, so they can share on the blog or between themselves.

Question: Do I really need one more thing to read?

Response: This blog will be weekly, about 500 – 750 words, designed for a quick scan to see if it is relevant enough to read, circulate to others, or put in a save file. You might actually decide to replace something you are currently reading regularly -:), if this blog provides the value that it aims to provide for people working with multi-stakeholder, big-system change networks.

Question: What’s special about these networks?

Response: First of all, they have tremendous potential to make really important contributions toward addressing the issues that they focus on.  They can do things that other strategies, such as inter-governmental processes, can’t.  Second, they are pioneering a new form of organization…a new strategy…to address critical issues.  Knowledge about developing their effectiveness is comparable to the 1850s when the corporate form was emerging, the 1930s when the welfare state was emerging, and the 1960s when civil society organizations were greatly diversifying and expanding.  Those forms of organizations have schools and universities devoted to their development.  This blog is making a modest contribution in that direction.

Question: It all sounds a bit academic…

Response: The best ideas always come from people grappling intimately with the issues – in this case people working in the networks, making a difference using network strategies.  My work and this blog will focus upon bringing forth those real-life ideas and experiences.  Sometimes the most powerful way to do this is to simply share others’ stories;  other times it is to summarize them in a conceptual framework to make sense of trends and to help you see what parts are particularly applicable for you.  And of course this blog is not simply about what I have to say…it aims to stimulate comments and conversations and connections between others and give a space for all to have their say.

Question: So could you give me a more concrete example of a planned blog topic?

Response: Sure.  How about the question of “who” is a “member” – or do we even need members? How can we mobilize the resources necessary?  Some of the key questions this blog will explore are presented in the figure below, which presents challenges to develop the core competencies that a network needs to be effective. (For more on these core competencies, click here.)  Register in the sidebar to get the blog regularly.  Tell me what questions or thoughts you have in the comment bar below!  And please forward to others you know who might like to subscribe to this blog.

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