Impact Networks: Create Connection, Spark Collaboration, and Catalyze Systemic Change

3. Form a Design Team There is real power associated with the catalyst’s position, and that power needs to be explicitly acknowledged at the outset.

taking a forward-looking approach does not mean abandoning present-day issues. It only means that those pressing issues can be seen in the larger context of the future you want to create.

As the network clarifies its purpose, articulating shared principles is also helpful. Principles are fundamental beliefs about how participants intend to conduct themselves and work together in pursuit of the purpose. They guide behavior and decisionmaking by linking values with action.

witnessed the true power of relationships. Built on a foundation of trust, the network changed the way people engaged with one another.

the dynamic tension of self-interest and shared interest.

Catalyzing is the art of crafting a vision and inspiring action. Catalysts are particularly instrumental in forming new networks: they bring people together for the first time to explore the potential and get the effort off the ground. Once a network is launched, catalyzing continues to be needed to organize new project teams, raise resources, and

“The network is always trying to tell you where it does and does not want to go.”

will be refined when participants are brought together,

Action networks bring together actors from across systems to connect, learn, and collaborate together to address complex issues.