1. Leadership in Networks
Lessons from The RE-AMP Network
PRESENTED TO LEADERSHIP LEARNING COMMUNITY:
Heather McLeod Grant, Monitor Institute
Rick Reed, Garfield Foundation, Senior Advisor
Dec. 6th, 2011

2. Welcome, Introductions
Who are We? What is Monitor Institute?
Part consulting firm … part incubator… … part think tank
What is the Garfield Foundation?
A Family Foundation using System’s Approaches to Achieving Sustainability

3. Monitor Institute’s “Networks” Work
Consulting Incubator Think Tank
Network of
Network Funders
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4. What Is a Network?
A group of people or organizations
connected by relationships
network
/ˈnɛtˌwɜrk/
― Noun (the what): a structural form for organizing
― Verb (the how): to connect, spread, organize into a network
― Adjective: connected, transparent, decentralized
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5. ReAmp Network at a Glance
• Founded in 2003-04 with seed funding from The Garfield
Foundation and Rick Reed leading the charge
• Desire to bring different nonprofits and funders together
in a network to begin to change a system
• Now comprised of 138 nonprofits and 15 funders across 8
states in the Midwest
• Goal: to reduce global warming emissions 80% by 2050
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6. Making the Case: 3rd Party Evaluation Findings
86% of member organizations agree that RE-AMP
is an effective use of staff, time, and resources.
65% agree that as a result of their participation in
RE-AMP they are using better strategies.
63% report that as a result of their participation
foundations & advocates in the network
have become better aligned, and advocates
have become better aligned with each other.
92% of foundation members agree that their participation
in RE-AMP is helping them make better funding decisions.

7. Systemic Alignment = Accelerated Progress
= Policy Success = Policy in Play

8. START BY UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM
YOU ARE TRYING TO CHANGE.
INVOLVE BOTH FUNDERS AND NONPROFITS
AS EQUALS FROM THE OUTSET.
DESIGN FOR A NETWORK, NOT AN ORGANIZATION—
AND INVEST IN COLLECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE.
CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP AT MANY LEVELS.
CREATE MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES
TO CONNECT AND COMMUNICATE.
REMAIN ADAPTIVE AND EMERGENT—AND
COMMITTED TO A LONG-TERM VISION.
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9. DESIGN FOR A NETWORK, NOT AN
ORGANIZATION—AND INVEST IN
COLLECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE.
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10. NATL.
The Commons ENVIRONMENTAL
Media Center ORGS.
(Online)
CAUCUS:
Natl.
Environmental
ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING WORKING
NONPROFITS
Organizations
GROUP: GROUP: ENVIRONMENTAL
FUNDERS
Transpor- Found-
tation ations
CAUCUS:
Faith-Based WORKING Steering CAUCUS:
Community GROUP: WORKING Midwest
Committee
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP: Governors
Clean
NONPROFITS Synergy Coal Association
Energy Committee
ENVIRONMENTAL
FAITH-BASED NONPROFITS
COMMUNITIES
WORKING
WORKING NONPROFITS
GROUP:
GROUP: TRACKING M.G.A.
ENVIRONMENTAL Global POLICY
NONPROFITS
Energy
Warming
Solutions Efficiency
ENVIRONMENTAL CAUCUS:
CAUCUS: NONPROFITS Rural
Youth
In-Person Learning &
Meetings Progress Reports
RURAL
COMMUNTY
Global Warming ORGANIZATIONS
YOUTH ORGS. Strategic Action Fund
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11. CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP
AT MANY LEVELS.
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12. Many Leadership Roles in the Network
 Establishes first links to participants
ORGANIZER/  Designs and oversees/ produces the process
ENTREPRENEUR  Brings in other resources and facilitators as needed
 Ensures flow of information and other resources
 Provides initial resources for organizing the network
LEAD FUNDER
 Invests in network capacity building
 Can be multiple people with formal and informal roles – help the group
CONSULTANTS/
FACILITATORS
organize and do their work
 Tasks and consultants change over time
 Facilitates the network use of technology to learn, coordinate, connect
NETWORK  Organizes convenings
COORDINATOR & STAFF  Connects people to each other
 Manages network “administration”
 Steering Committee
ELECTED MEMBER  Working Group leaders
LEADERSHIP  Caucus leadership
 All represent the membership – leadership can emerge anywhere
Sources: Peter Plastrik and Madeleine Taylor, Net Gains (2006); Beth Kanter; Stephanie Lowell , Building the Field of Dreams (2007); White, Wenger, and Smith, Digital Habitats (2009)

13. Organizer/ Entrepreneur/ Evangelist (Rick Reed)
• Entrepreneur: Initiated first convening, identified initial
ORGANIZER/ participants and the “issue” to work on
ENTREPRENEUR
• Catalyst: Launched systems-mapping process for Garfield
LEAD FUNDER
• Exec. Producer: Identified network needs, brought in
other consultants to facilitate at different stages
CONSULTANTS/
FACILITATORS • Evangelist/ Weaver: Helped raise resources and bring
other funders and nonprofits to the table
NETWORK
COORDINATOR & STAFF • Holding the Whole: Oversees evolution of the whole
network, continually identifying new collective needs
ELECTED MEMBER
LEADERSHIP • Problem-solver: “Sees around corners” – spots problems
and figures out solutions
Source: Adapted from Net Work by Patti Anklam (2007) and “Vertigo and the Intentional Inhabitant: Leadership in a Connected World” by Bill Traynor (2009)

14. Lead Funder (Garfield)
• Innovator: Had initial concept to test – wanted to
ORGANIZER/ apply “network” methodology to social problem
ENTREPRENEUR solving on a big issue
• Catalyst: Hired Rick Reed to act as organizer/
LEAD FUNDER
entrepreneur on foundation’s behalf
CONSULTANTS/ • Seed Funder: Provided ample “walking around” money
FACILITATORS with few strings attached to get it off the ground
NETWORK
• Growth Investor: Continued to invest in collective
COORDINATOR & STAFF capacity building (facilitation, convening, etc.)
• Weaver: Brought other funders to the table
ELECTED MEMBER
LEADERSHIP

15. Facilitators/Consultants (Many)
• Systems Mapping: Scott Spann led initial process to
ORGANIZER/
identify the problem and points of leverage
ENTREPRENEUR
• Network Development: Grove Consultants helped
working groups identify strategic priorities; they continue
LEAD FUNDER to facilitate whole-network convenings
• Network Design: Ruth Rominger helped conceptualize
CONSULTANTS/
FACILITATORS design of the network and apply theory to practice
• Evaluation/Learning: Pete Plastrik and Chinwe
NETWORK
COORDINATOR & STAFF
Onyeagoro conducted first Network evaluation to
identify successes and opportunities for improvement
ELECTED MEMBER • Documentation/Dissemination: Monitor Institute
LEADERSHIP
codified learning from the network to share in the field

16. Network Coordinator/Staff (Distributed)
• Network Coordinator:
ORGANIZER/
ENTREPRENEUR • Staffs the Steering Committee, provides executive
support for meetings (monthly and in-person)
• Plans annual collective convening
LEAD FUNDER • Produces and manages annual budget for network
• Go-to person for Working Group leaders
• Manages other staff
CONSULTANTS/
FACILITATORS
• Staff:
• Half-time staff for each Working Group leader (co-
NETWORK
COORDINATOR & STAFF located with WG leader’s organization)
• Three caucus staff report to coordinator
• Other staff distributed throughout structure and
ELECTED MEMBER
LEADERSHIP
report to SC: Media Center; Commons; Learning and
Progress

17. Elected Leadership (Distributed)
• Steering Committee: Elected body comprised of
ORGANIZER/ Working Group leaders, at-large leaders, experts
ENTREPRENEUR
• Working Groups: Primary mechanism for organizing
LEAD FUNDER the group’s work; each WG elects its leaders
• Caucuses: Other groups used to reach out and
CONSULTANTS/ represent specific constituencies (appointed)
FACILITATORS
• Other: Leadership can emerge from anywhere in the
NETWORK network at any time – “do-ocracy”
COORDINATOR & STAFF
ELECTED MEMBER
LEADERSHIP

18. Different Leadership at Different Stages
Adapted from the work of iScale and
June Holley & Valdis Krebs

19. Characteristics of Network Leadership
• Distributed and fluid: many people, many roles,
power not concentrated
• Spacious: radical democracy; leadership can emerge
from anywhere at any time
• Collective: group “brain trust” and intelligence
• Committed: Deep buy-in and investment
• Messy: Sometimes process-intensive; decision-
making can take longer

20. Challenges Faced by Network Leaders
Unlearning past behaviors Letting go of control, Continuing to engage
(not reverting to messiness of process network participants
organizational model)
Decision rights; interface
with outside world
Sharing knowledge and Identifying and measuring
collective learning impact/ network “health”
Learning and leveraging
new technologies
Source of images: Cut Throat Communications, Blog.com, Rutgers University RU FAIR, Kodaikanal International School, flickr

21. Implications for Leadership Development Work
• New Paradigm: Shifting from leadership as an individual
position to a collective behavior shared by many (leadership in
networks)
• Collective Capacity Investments: Consider investing in
collective capacity building, not just individual or
organizational development
• Context: Leadership is imbedded in the context of an
ecosystem of actors, and a whole system – not in isolation
• Recruiting: The above will impact how you think about
recruiting, and who you are developing
• Competencies/ Evaluation: The skills you develop, and how
you assess leaders is very different in a network
• Other: What else?

22. Questions?
Heather McLeod Grant, Monitor Institute
heather_grant@monitor.com
Rick Reed, RE-AMP
reamprr@gmail.com
To download the case study:
www.monitorinstitute.com/reamp
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