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The Berkana Institute


Using Emergence
to Take Social Innovation to Scale
Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze
The Berkana Institute




Using Emergence to Take Social
Innovation to Scale
Margaret Wheatley & Deborah Frieze




Despite current ads and slogans,       how life truly changes, which is
the world doesn’t change one           through emergence. When separ-
person at a time. It changes as        ate, local efforts connect with each
networks of relationships form         other as networks, then strength-
                                       en as communities of practice,
among people who discover they
                                       suddenly and surprisingly a new
share a common cause and vision
                                       system emerges at a greater level
of what’s possible.                    of scale. This system of influence
    This is good news for those of     possesses qualities and capacities
us intent on changing the world        that were unknown in the indi-
and creating a positive future.        viduals. It isn’t that they were hid-
Rather than worry about critical       den; they simply don’t exist until
mass, our work is to foster critical   the system emerges. They are prop-
connections. We don’t need to con-     erties of the system, not the indi-
vince large numbers of people to       vidual, but once there, individuals
change; instead, we need to connect    possess them. And the system that
with kindred spirits. Through these    emerges always possesses greater
relationships, we will develop the     power and influence than is pos-
new knowledge, practices, courage      sible through planned, incremental
and commitment that lead to            change. Emergence is how life
broad-based change.                    creates radical change and takes
    But networks aren’t the whole      things to scale.
story. As networks grow and                Since its inception in 1992,
transform into active, working         The Berkana Institute has been
communities of practice, we discover   experimenting with the lifecycle of


                                                                           1
emergence: how living systems be-       these everywhere, it is not because
gin as networks, shift to intentional   they’re a new form of organizing.
communities of practice, and evolve     It’s because we’ve removed our old
into powerful systems capable           paradigm blinders that look for
of global influence. Through our        hierarchy and control mechanisms
work with communities in many           in the belief that organization only
different nations, we are learning      happens through human will and
what’s possible when we connect         intervention.
people across difference and dis-           Networks are the only form of
tance. By applying the lessons          organization on this planet used
of living systems and work-             by living systems. These networks
ing intentionally with emergence        result from self-organization, where
and its lifecycle, we are demon-        individuals or species recognize
strating how local social innovation    their interdependence and organize
can be taken to scale and pro-          in ways that support the diversity
vide solutions to many of the world’s   and viability of all. Networks create
most intractable issues—such as         the conditions for emergence,
community health, ecological sus-       which is how life changes. Because
tainability and economic self-          networks are the first stage in emer-
reliance.                               gence, it is essential that we under-
                                        stand their dynamics and how they
Why we need to understand               develop into communities and then
networks                                systems.
Researchers and social activists are        Yet much of the current work on
beginning to discover the power         networks displays old paradigm bias.
of networks and networking.             In social network analysis, physical
And there is a growing recognition      representations of the network are
that networks are the new form          created by mapping relationships.
of organizing. Evidence of self-        This is useful for convincing people
organized networks is everywhere:       that networks exist, and people
from social activists and web-based     are often fascinated to see the
interest groups to terrorist groups     network made visible. Other net-
and street gangs. While we now see      work analysts name roles played



2
The Berkana Institute




by members of the network or             Western assumptions of how change
make distinctions between differ-        happens that it often takes quite a
ent parts of the network, such as        while to understand it. In nature,
core and periphery. It may not be        change never happens as a result of
the intent of these researchers, but     top-down, pre-conceived strategic
their work is often used by leaders      plans, or from the mandate of any
to find ways to manipulate the           single individual or boss. Change
network, to use it in a traditional      begins as local actions spring up
and controlling way.                     simultaneously in many different
    What’s missing in these analyses     areas. If these changes remain
is an exploration of the dynamics of     disconnected, nothing happens
networks:                                beyond each locale. However, when
• Why do networks form? What             they become connected, local ac-
  are the conditions that support        tions can emerge as a powerful
  their creation?                        system with influence at a more
• What keeps a network alive and         global or comprehensive level.
  growing? What keeps members            (Global here means a larger scale,
  connected?                             not necessarily the entire planet.)
• What type of leadership is re-            These powerful emergent phen-
  quired?                                omena appear suddenly and
• Why do people become leaders?          surprisingly. Think about how the
• What type of leadership interferes     Berlin Wall suddenly came down,
  with or destroys the network?          how the Soviet Union ended, how
• What happens after a healthy           corporate power quickly came to
  network forms? What’s next?            dominate globally. In each case,
• If we understand these dynamics        there were many local actions and
  and the lifecycle of emergence,        decisions, most of which were
  what can we do as leaders, activists   invisible and unknown to each other,
  and social entrepreneurs to inten-     and none of which was powerful
  tionally foster emergence?             enough by itself to create change.
                                         But when these local changes
What is Emergence?                       coalesced, new power emerged.
Emergence violates so many of our        What could not be accomplished



                                                                            3
by diplomacy, politics, protests, or     would do better to connect them
strategy suddenly happened. And          to like-minded others and create
when each materialized, most             the conditions for emergence. The
of us were surprised. Emergent           skills and capacities needed by
phenomena always have these              them will be found in the system
characteristics: They exert much         that emerges, not in better training
more power than the sum of their         programs.
parts; they always possess new               Because emergence only hap-
capacities different from the local      pens through connections, Berkana
actions that engendered them;            has developed a four-stage model
they always surprise us by their         that catalyzes connections as the
appearance.                              means to achieve large-scale
    It is important to note that         change: Name, Connect, Nourish,
emergence always results in a            Illuminate (see Appendix). We focus
powerful system that has many            on discovering pioneering efforts
more capacities than could ever          and naming them as such. We
be predicted by analyzing the            then connect these efforts to other
individual parts. We see this in the     similar work globally. We nourish
behavior of hive insects such as         this network in many ways, but
bees and termites. Individual ants       most essentially through creating
possess none of the intelligence or      opportunities for learning and
skills that are in the hive. No matter   sharing experiences and shifting
how intently scientists study the        into communities of practice. We
behavior of individual ants, they        also illuminate these pioneering
can never see the behavior of the        efforts so that many more people
hive. Yet once the hive forms, each      will learn from them. We are
ant acts with the intelligence and       attempting to work intentionally
skillfulness of the whole.               with emergence so that small, local
    This aspect of emergence             efforts can become a global force
has profound implications for            for change.
social entrepreneurs. Instead of
developing them individually as
leaders and skillful practitioners, we



4
The Berkana Institute




The Lifecycle of Emergence              emergence is the development of
Stage One: Networks                     communities of practice (CoPs).
                                        Many such smaller, individuated
                                        communities can spring from a
                                        robust network. CoPs are also self-
                                        organized. People share a common
                                        work and realize there is great
                                        benefit to being in relationship.They
 Networks: Discovering Shared           use this community to share what
 Meaning and Purpose                    they know, to support one another,
                                        and to intentionally create new
We live in a time when coalitions,      knowledge for their field of
alliances and networks are forming as   practice.
the means to create societal change.
There are ever more networks and
now, networks of networks. These
networks are essential for people
finding like-minded others, the first
stage in the lifecycle of emergence.
It’s important to note that networks
are only the beginning. They are         Communities of Practice:
based on self-interest: people us-       Developing New Practices Together
ually network together for their
own benefit and to develop their
own work. Networks tend to have            These CoPs differ from net-
fluid membership; people move           works in significant ways. They are
in and out of them based on how         communities, which means that
much they personally benefit from       people make a commitment to be
participating.                          there for each other; they participate
                                        not only for their own needs, but to
Stage Two: Communities of               serve the needs of others.
Practice                                   In a community of practice, the
Networks make it possible for           focus extends beyond the needs of
people to find others engaged in        the group. There is an intentional
similar work. The second stage of       commitment to advance the field



                                                                             5
of practice, and to share those
discoveries with a wider audience.
They make their resources and
knowledge available to anyone,
especially those doing related work.
    The speed with which people
learn and grow in a community of
practice is noteworthy. Good ideas       Systems of Influence:
move rapidly among members.              New Practices Become the Norm
New knowledge and practices are
implemented quickly. The speed          be done suddenly become chief
at which knowledge development          supporters (often saying they knew
and exchange happens is crucial,        it all along).
because local regions and the world         Emergence is the fundamental
need this knowledge and wisdom          scientific explanation for how
now.                                    local changes can materialize as
                                        global systems of influence. As a
Stage Three: Systems of Influence
                                        change theory, it offers methods
The third stage in emergence can        and practices to accomplish the
never be predicted. It is the sudden    systems-wide changes that are so
appearance of a system that has real    needed at this time. As leaders and
power and influence. Pioneering         communities of concerned people,
efforts that hovered at the periphery   we need to intentionally work with
suddenly become the norm. The           emergence so that our efforts will
practices developed by courageous       result in a truly hopeful future. No
communities become the accepted         matter what other change strategies
standard. People no longer hesitate     we have learned or favored,
about adopting these approaches         emergence is the only way change
and methods, and they learn them        really happens on this planet. And
easily. Policy and funding debates      that is very good news.
now include the perspectives and
experiences of these pioneers. They
become leaders in the field and
are acknowledged as the wisdom
keepers for their particular issue.
And critics who said it could never



6
The Berkana Institute




Appendix
Berkana’s Four Stages for Developing Leadership-in-Community
Berkana works with pioneering leaders and communities using a four-stage
approach. This has evolved out of our understanding of how living systems grow
and change, and years of practice and experimentation.

I. Name
Pioneering leaders act in isolation, unaware that their work has broader value.
They are too busy to think about extending their work, and too humble to think
that others would benefit. Berkana’s first act is to recognize them as pioneers with
experiences that are of value to others.

II. Connect
Life grows and changes through the strength of its connections and relationships.
(In nature, if a system lacks health, the solution is to connect it to more of
itself.) Berkana creates connections in many different ways. We design and facilitate
community gatherings. We host networks where people can exchange ideas and
resources. Our collaborative technology supports communities of practice through
dedicated websites, online conferences, asynchronous conversations and co-created
knowledge.

III. Nourish
Communities of practice need many different resources: ideas, mentors, processes,
technology, equipment, money. Each is important, but foremost among these
is learning and knowledge: knowing what techniques and processes work well,
and learning from experience as people do the work. Berkana provides many of
these sources of nourishment but, increasingly, we find that the most significant
nourishment comes from the interactions and exchanges among pioneering leaders
themselves. They need and want to share their practices, experiences and dreams.
Creating opportunities for people to learn together has become our primary way
of nourishing their efforts.
IV. Illuminate
It is difficult for anybody to see work based on a different paradigm. If people
do notice such work, it is often characterized as inspiring deviations from the
norm. It takes time and attention for people to see different approaches for what
they are: examples of what the new world could be. The Berkana community
publishes articles, tells our stories at conferences, and hosts learning journeys
where people visit pioneering efforts, learn from them directly and develop lasting
relationships.
                                                                                   7
Margaret Wheatley is the founder of The Berkana Institute. Meg has
been working with people for many years to develop radically new
practices and ideas for organizing, where people are seen as the
blessing, not the problem. She is an internationally acclaimed
speaker and author of Leadership and the New Science, A Simpler Way,
Turning to One Another, and most recently, Finding Our Way.

Deborah Frieze is the Co-President of The Berkana Institute. She joined
Berkana in 2002 to help bring Berkana’s vision into the world. A few years
later, she co-founded the Berkana Exchange, a community of leadership
learning centers that are developing the capacity to solve their most press-
ing problems—such as community health, ecological sustainability and
economic self-reliance—by acting locally, connecting regionally and
learning trans-locally. She is a member of the Tipping Point Network, a
group seeking to catalyze a globally sustainable economy.


www.berkana.org
Printed on 100% recycled paper

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Emergence

  • 1. The Berkana Institute Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to Scale Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze
  • 2. The Berkana Institute Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to Scale Margaret Wheatley & Deborah Frieze Despite current ads and slogans, how life truly changes, which is the world doesn’t change one through emergence. When separ- person at a time. It changes as ate, local efforts connect with each networks of relationships form other as networks, then strength- en as communities of practice, among people who discover they suddenly and surprisingly a new share a common cause and vision system emerges at a greater level of what’s possible. of scale. This system of influence This is good news for those of possesses qualities and capacities us intent on changing the world that were unknown in the indi- and creating a positive future. viduals. It isn’t that they were hid- Rather than worry about critical den; they simply don’t exist until mass, our work is to foster critical the system emerges. They are prop- connections. We don’t need to con- erties of the system, not the indi- vince large numbers of people to vidual, but once there, individuals change; instead, we need to connect possess them. And the system that with kindred spirits. Through these emerges always possesses greater relationships, we will develop the power and influence than is pos- new knowledge, practices, courage sible through planned, incremental and commitment that lead to change. Emergence is how life broad-based change. creates radical change and takes But networks aren’t the whole things to scale. story. As networks grow and Since its inception in 1992, transform into active, working The Berkana Institute has been communities of practice, we discover experimenting with the lifecycle of 1
  • 3. emergence: how living systems be- these everywhere, it is not because gin as networks, shift to intentional they’re a new form of organizing. communities of practice, and evolve It’s because we’ve removed our old into powerful systems capable paradigm blinders that look for of global influence. Through our hierarchy and control mechanisms work with communities in many in the belief that organization only different nations, we are learning happens through human will and what’s possible when we connect intervention. people across difference and dis- Networks are the only form of tance. By applying the lessons organization on this planet used of living systems and work- by living systems. These networks ing intentionally with emergence result from self-organization, where and its lifecycle, we are demon- individuals or species recognize strating how local social innovation their interdependence and organize can be taken to scale and pro- in ways that support the diversity vide solutions to many of the world’s and viability of all. Networks create most intractable issues—such as the conditions for emergence, community health, ecological sus- which is how life changes. Because tainability and economic self- networks are the first stage in emer- reliance. gence, it is essential that we under- stand their dynamics and how they Why we need to understand develop into communities and then networks systems. Researchers and social activists are Yet much of the current work on beginning to discover the power networks displays old paradigm bias. of networks and networking. In social network analysis, physical And there is a growing recognition representations of the network are that networks are the new form created by mapping relationships. of organizing. Evidence of self- This is useful for convincing people organized networks is everywhere: that networks exist, and people from social activists and web-based are often fascinated to see the interest groups to terrorist groups network made visible. Other net- and street gangs. While we now see work analysts name roles played 2
  • 4. The Berkana Institute by members of the network or Western assumptions of how change make distinctions between differ- happens that it often takes quite a ent parts of the network, such as while to understand it. In nature, core and periphery. It may not be change never happens as a result of the intent of these researchers, but top-down, pre-conceived strategic their work is often used by leaders plans, or from the mandate of any to find ways to manipulate the single individual or boss. Change network, to use it in a traditional begins as local actions spring up and controlling way. simultaneously in many different What’s missing in these analyses areas. If these changes remain is an exploration of the dynamics of disconnected, nothing happens networks: beyond each locale. However, when • Why do networks form? What they become connected, local ac- are the conditions that support tions can emerge as a powerful their creation? system with influence at a more • What keeps a network alive and global or comprehensive level. growing? What keeps members (Global here means a larger scale, connected? not necessarily the entire planet.) • What type of leadership is re- These powerful emergent phen- quired? omena appear suddenly and • Why do people become leaders? surprisingly. Think about how the • What type of leadership interferes Berlin Wall suddenly came down, with or destroys the network? how the Soviet Union ended, how • What happens after a healthy corporate power quickly came to network forms? What’s next? dominate globally. In each case, • If we understand these dynamics there were many local actions and and the lifecycle of emergence, decisions, most of which were what can we do as leaders, activists invisible and unknown to each other, and social entrepreneurs to inten- and none of which was powerful tionally foster emergence? enough by itself to create change. But when these local changes What is Emergence? coalesced, new power emerged. Emergence violates so many of our What could not be accomplished 3
  • 5. by diplomacy, politics, protests, or would do better to connect them strategy suddenly happened. And to like-minded others and create when each materialized, most the conditions for emergence. The of us were surprised. Emergent skills and capacities needed by phenomena always have these them will be found in the system characteristics: They exert much that emerges, not in better training more power than the sum of their programs. parts; they always possess new Because emergence only hap- capacities different from the local pens through connections, Berkana actions that engendered them; has developed a four-stage model they always surprise us by their that catalyzes connections as the appearance. means to achieve large-scale It is important to note that change: Name, Connect, Nourish, emergence always results in a Illuminate (see Appendix). We focus powerful system that has many on discovering pioneering efforts more capacities than could ever and naming them as such. We be predicted by analyzing the then connect these efforts to other individual parts. We see this in the similar work globally. We nourish behavior of hive insects such as this network in many ways, but bees and termites. Individual ants most essentially through creating possess none of the intelligence or opportunities for learning and skills that are in the hive. No matter sharing experiences and shifting how intently scientists study the into communities of practice. We behavior of individual ants, they also illuminate these pioneering can never see the behavior of the efforts so that many more people hive. Yet once the hive forms, each will learn from them. We are ant acts with the intelligence and attempting to work intentionally skillfulness of the whole. with emergence so that small, local This aspect of emergence efforts can become a global force has profound implications for for change. social entrepreneurs. Instead of developing them individually as leaders and skillful practitioners, we 4
  • 6. The Berkana Institute The Lifecycle of Emergence emergence is the development of Stage One: Networks communities of practice (CoPs). Many such smaller, individuated communities can spring from a robust network. CoPs are also self- organized. People share a common work and realize there is great benefit to being in relationship.They Networks: Discovering Shared use this community to share what Meaning and Purpose they know, to support one another, and to intentionally create new We live in a time when coalitions, knowledge for their field of alliances and networks are forming as practice. the means to create societal change. There are ever more networks and now, networks of networks. These networks are essential for people finding like-minded others, the first stage in the lifecycle of emergence. It’s important to note that networks are only the beginning. They are Communities of Practice: based on self-interest: people us- Developing New Practices Together ually network together for their own benefit and to develop their own work. Networks tend to have These CoPs differ from net- fluid membership; people move works in significant ways. They are in and out of them based on how communities, which means that much they personally benefit from people make a commitment to be participating. there for each other; they participate not only for their own needs, but to Stage Two: Communities of serve the needs of others. Practice In a community of practice, the Networks make it possible for focus extends beyond the needs of people to find others engaged in the group. There is an intentional similar work. The second stage of commitment to advance the field 5
  • 7. of practice, and to share those discoveries with a wider audience. They make their resources and knowledge available to anyone, especially those doing related work. The speed with which people learn and grow in a community of practice is noteworthy. Good ideas Systems of Influence: move rapidly among members. New Practices Become the Norm New knowledge and practices are implemented quickly. The speed be done suddenly become chief at which knowledge development supporters (often saying they knew and exchange happens is crucial, it all along). because local regions and the world Emergence is the fundamental need this knowledge and wisdom scientific explanation for how now. local changes can materialize as global systems of influence. As a Stage Three: Systems of Influence change theory, it offers methods The third stage in emergence can and practices to accomplish the never be predicted. It is the sudden systems-wide changes that are so appearance of a system that has real needed at this time. As leaders and power and influence. Pioneering communities of concerned people, efforts that hovered at the periphery we need to intentionally work with suddenly become the norm. The emergence so that our efforts will practices developed by courageous result in a truly hopeful future. No communities become the accepted matter what other change strategies standard. People no longer hesitate we have learned or favored, about adopting these approaches emergence is the only way change and methods, and they learn them really happens on this planet. And easily. Policy and funding debates that is very good news. now include the perspectives and experiences of these pioneers. They become leaders in the field and are acknowledged as the wisdom keepers for their particular issue. And critics who said it could never 6
  • 8. The Berkana Institute Appendix Berkana’s Four Stages for Developing Leadership-in-Community Berkana works with pioneering leaders and communities using a four-stage approach. This has evolved out of our understanding of how living systems grow and change, and years of practice and experimentation. I. Name Pioneering leaders act in isolation, unaware that their work has broader value. They are too busy to think about extending their work, and too humble to think that others would benefit. Berkana’s first act is to recognize them as pioneers with experiences that are of value to others. II. Connect Life grows and changes through the strength of its connections and relationships. (In nature, if a system lacks health, the solution is to connect it to more of itself.) Berkana creates connections in many different ways. We design and facilitate community gatherings. We host networks where people can exchange ideas and resources. Our collaborative technology supports communities of practice through dedicated websites, online conferences, asynchronous conversations and co-created knowledge. III. Nourish Communities of practice need many different resources: ideas, mentors, processes, technology, equipment, money. Each is important, but foremost among these is learning and knowledge: knowing what techniques and processes work well, and learning from experience as people do the work. Berkana provides many of these sources of nourishment but, increasingly, we find that the most significant nourishment comes from the interactions and exchanges among pioneering leaders themselves. They need and want to share their practices, experiences and dreams. Creating opportunities for people to learn together has become our primary way of nourishing their efforts. IV. Illuminate It is difficult for anybody to see work based on a different paradigm. If people do notice such work, it is often characterized as inspiring deviations from the norm. It takes time and attention for people to see different approaches for what they are: examples of what the new world could be. The Berkana community publishes articles, tells our stories at conferences, and hosts learning journeys where people visit pioneering efforts, learn from them directly and develop lasting relationships. 7
  • 9. Margaret Wheatley is the founder of The Berkana Institute. Meg has been working with people for many years to develop radically new practices and ideas for organizing, where people are seen as the blessing, not the problem. She is an internationally acclaimed speaker and author of Leadership and the New Science, A Simpler Way, Turning to One Another, and most recently, Finding Our Way. Deborah Frieze is the Co-President of The Berkana Institute. She joined Berkana in 2002 to help bring Berkana’s vision into the world. A few years later, she co-founded the Berkana Exchange, a community of leadership learning centers that are developing the capacity to solve their most press- ing problems—such as community health, ecological sustainability and economic self-reliance—by acting locally, connecting regionally and learning trans-locally. She is a member of the Tipping Point Network, a group seeking to catalyze a globally sustainable economy. www.berkana.org Printed on 100% recycled paper