Exploring network patterns
Understand common patterns of connections between people and how they impact the way they can work together
What is made possible? By relating their own experience to prototypical network patterns, groups canget a deeper understanding of how they work together (or not) and what the opportunities andchallenges of each of the different patterns of self-organization are. Also, these patterns give groupmembers a language to talk about how they experience collaboration, what they appreciate or strugglewith and what kind of network structure they prefer. In many cases this will be more of an explorationand an exercise to understand other’s preferences better – because every pattern carries challenges andopportunities, there is no one perfect solution for the group to discover.
Five Structural Elements – Min Specs
1. Structuring Invitation
• Invite participants to explore which network patterns they are working in and whatopportunities and challenges these patterns carry.
2. How Space is Arranged and Materials Needed
• A large enough space without chairs for participants to mill about and talk in pairs andsmall groups
• A table at one side of the room to spread several sets of network pattern cards
• Network pattern cards (see collateral materials, about 4-5 times as many asparticipants)3. How Participation is Distributed Everyone in the group has an equal opportunity to contribute
4. How Groups are Configured
• Start alone, then in pairs, then in larger groups (everyone who picked the same patternin one group) and finally as a whole group
5. Sequence of Steps and Time Allocation
• Facilitator spreads network pattern cards on large table and invites participants to havea look (2 min)
• Facilitator invites participants to pick one pattern which they can relate to by asking:“Which of these patterns reminds you of the way this group works?” Or: “Pick onepattern that speaks to you because you love working this way?” or: “Pick one patternwhich reflects a difficult experience you have had when working with others.” (2 min)
• Silent writing / self reflection: What is the situation this card reminds you of? What aresome challenges and opportunities you experience when working in a structure likethis? (3 min)
• Share in pairs – picking a partner who has picked a different pattern (5 min) – possiblytwo rounds
• Form a group with all participants who have picked the same pattern. Discuss thechallenges and opportunities of your pattern and explore how it can look different fromdifferent perspectives (6 min)
• Sharing in the large group: What were some main insights you had which can guide theway we work together? (6 min)
6. Why? Purposes
• Develop “network intuition” to allow participants to detect patterns in the ways weconnect and understand the opportunities and challenges these patterns bring
• Give groups a common language to make explicit how we work together and how wewould want to work together, so that the group can take ownership of these patterns ofinteraction instead of passively enduring them
• Understand that there is no perfect pattern but rather that different patterns work fordifferent purposes, they feel differently depending on which position you have in thepattern and different people have different preferences
7. Tips and Traps
• Encourage participants to explore those aspects of a pattern they don’t immediatelysee: If they picked a pattern they really suffered in, what are some benefits andopportunities of this pattern? If they picked a pattern they really like, what are somechallenges of this pattern? Does it look different if you have a different position in thepattern (e.g. whether you are in the center or periphery)?
• Set the tone to reduce judging and open participants’ minds to the thought that there isno right or wrong (good or evil) pattern.
• Don’t be seduced into over-explaining but encourage participants to take what they seeand interpret it the way they need to tell their story.
• Use perforated postcards to make printing pattern cards easier
8. Riffs and Variations
• Use pattern cards with or without titles. Also, you may print them two sided, one sidewithout title (which is what the participants see when picking the cards) and one withtitle (which gives them a name for the pattern to talk about it)
• Invite participants to pick two cards, one for the current and one for a desired pattern
• Invite participants to pick two cards, one for the official and one for the real pattern
• Provide blank cards along with the pattern cards and invite participants to pick one cardwhich reminds them of a current situation and draw the desired situation on the blankcard
• While the cards below show very common patterns, don’t hesitate to add your own,based on experience or specific challenges the group faces
9. Examples
• Public sector leaders in Accra will use network pattern exploration to diagnose thechallenges they face in working together to improve sanitation
• For teams to improve the way collaboration is structured, taking all team members’perspective into account
• To accompany change processes, develop a vision of how we want to work together inthe future and check-in throughout the process, whether we have reached this patternand whether we think it actually does what we need
• To structure conversations across levels in organizations to improve understanding andcompassion for the challenges that different patterns pose for people in differentpositions
• For consultants to help them increase their network intuition and to collaborativelydiagnose the patterns of relationships in the organization they are working with