networks

Learning about Networks

Welcome to the Evaluation Learning Circle blog space! We invite you to register to our site and create your own blog to share resources, ideas, and stimulate conversations about leadership development evaluation that are important to you.

Here's my first blog post....

In the last few years there has been growing interest among those in the leadership development field to develop and strengthen leadership networks. One of the tools for understanding networks is Social Network Analysis (SNA).  read more »

Building Community in a Network Environment

LLC recently funded two Community Seed Fund projects that will explore and assess different learning approaches about how to cultivate and support learning communities.  read more »

Social Media: Changing How Change Happens

The power of social media for change is being talked about and leveraged all over the place.

  • John Fontana's recent post on Network World highlights the value of "citizen" engagement, social media and web-based networking in the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans.
  • Clay Shirky's recent book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations talks about how social media has removed or lessened many of the barriers to self-organizing (and in my thinking lessened the relevance of the nonprofit model so that many things can be accomplished with "adhocracies"). The book itself has a blog too, where readers are active commenters.
  • The Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (NTEN) and Beth Kanter are facilitating a wiki project to develop a social media curriculum specifically for nonprofits and change initiatives called Be the Media: The Social Media Empowerment Guide for Nonprofits.
  • And, over at NetSquared - Remixing the Web for Social Change, there's a veritable cornucopia of stories, examples and how-to's regarding social media and geared for nonprofits and change initiatives.

    Indeed, social media is changing how change happens. So what does this mean for leadership development - how programs are structured and supported, how are people recruited and selected, what's included in curriculum and how do we evaluate? My general instinct is that the term "leader" will be thought of as a fixed definition of a singular individual less and less. And we will talk more and more about leadership as a context-specific process exercised both by people and groups of people at different points in time. What is nonprofit leadership for 2020? What do you think?

Three LLC Circles Share Learning About Sustainable Leadership Networks

Three LLC circles (Sustaining Networks/Alumni, Social Media and Leadership, and Health Leadership) convened for a conference call and web-based meeting using the WebEx platform to discuss creating and sustaining leadership networks. Twenty people explored the following questions:  read more »

  • What forms of collaboration and network creation are we seeing in the leadership development arena?
  • What tools or processes do we find strengthen leadership networks?
  • What are the biggest challenges to sustaining network participation?

Evaluating the Emergence of Leadership Within Networks and Communities of Practice

Date of Publication:
Learning Circles: , ,
Abstract: Powerpoint presentation on Berkana Institute's theory of change, the evaluation questions they are asking, and the challenges they have faced.

Networks and Communities of Practice: What is the difference?

GroupWork2-Community or Network

Networks and communities of practice are often terms that are used interchangeably. Is there a difference?  read more »

Creating Space VII - 2006

At Creating Space VII, the Evaluation Learning Circle hosted three sessions. Click on the links below for more information and resources.  read more »