Network centrality is among the most well-known social network analysis metrics, measuring the degree to which a person or organization is central to a network. There are three different ways to measure network centrality, and some are easier to understand than others. Centrality is a
It’s more and more common for people working towards social impact to build and work in networks to reach their shared goals. By sharing information and resources, coordinating their activity, and collectively measuring their impact, a network can accomplish far more than a single individual
A Network Science Brief from Visible Network Labs As the old saying goes, ‘garbage in, garbage out.’ If you aren’t asking the right questions during a social network analysis, you aren’t going to have reliable data to analyze later on. For this reason, we spent
https://youtu.be/1EpAPAqmjSQ Ecosystem Mapping and Tracking Can Teach You a LOT. An ecosystem consists of all the organizations, individuals, programs, and other entities that interact and interconnect to affect the outcomes of your work. For example, the healthcare ecosystem includes organizations like hospitals, clinics, public health
Social network analysis (SNA) has been around for many decades in academic circles, but it has only recently become a popular learning tool for networks and other collaboratives. For many decades we have built partnerships and collaboratives largely based on gut and intuition, utilizing a
A Network Science Brief from Visible Network Labs Once you make the decision to take a network approach to solving a problem, you need to design a specific strategy – the way you will build, manage and evaluate your network – in order to reach
There are many different ways to structure a network… for example, in a decentralized structure, everyone in a network can be connected to everyone else, while in a centralized structure, everyone connects to a single, central entity. Each of these organizational network structures has its
Systems thinking is an important perspective for all network leaders! A network is fundamentally a system, experiencing many of the same dynamics that other systems go through, including emergence, feedback loops, and interconnection. We’ve come across many insightful systems thinking quotes and sayings over our
For those working in the field of social impact, building networks is part of the new normal. Creating partnerships with other organizations lets us share resources and knowledge, coordinate our action, and leverage diverse forms of value like influence and experience. However it is too
https://youtu.be/phi5IWIBdiM Virtual Facilitation Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult… Our Webinar Can Help! COVID-19 has changed the way network leaders meet and engage with each other. Given the very real need to avoid face-to-face interactions and socially distance, many are turning to virtual facilitation to fill
Click one of the links below to download a free resource to strengthen your community partnerships, collaborative network, and strategic ecosystem.
Advice for building, managing, and assessing cross-sector networks or coalitions of partners.
A template to map the connections and interactions between key stakeholders in your community.
A worksheet and guide to help you think through and develop your network or ecosystem strategy.
Get monthly updates on VNL news, new research, funding opportunities, and other resources related to network and ecosystem mapping and management.
