This development field is relevant for networks and project groups in contact with close and distant actors and partners.
It focuses on understanding how you, as a network (alliance, association, cluster, etc.), relate to diverse groups and actors, what holds you together, and the direction in which you are moving. This canvas is an evolution and combination of the previous two canvases on Team and Organizational Dynamics and shares some similarities. Networks are a blend of organizations and individual actors, meaning you will encounter both organizational development questions and group dynamic challenges. These overlapping issues can make networks fragile and demanding.
The dashed oval represents your network, while the individual ovals within it represent the various large or small sub-organizations and actors. Feel free to label them, draw additional ones, and think about which are closer together, larger or smaller, more central or peripheral. Is there perhaps a core group – a central team or administration that coordinates and holds everything together? This canvas can vary greatly depending on the number and nature of the actors within your network. It may be helpful to adapt the canvas to your specific network activity and draw it on a larger sheet.
As with the other canvases, appreciation (How do we interact internally and externally?) and value creation (What do we create? What is our shared product?) are central. Also important are the questions of inside and outside: Who or what should be included, and who or what should deliberately remain outside? How do we decide this? Which alternative networks do we want to distance ourselves from, and with which do we want to collaborate?
The why/mission and the purpose/goals of your network also play a crucial role. Networks are subject to strong centrifugal and centripetal forces, meaning they are constantly at risk of falling apart or being dominated by a central core. What are these forces? Where are the disagreements? What differences and challenges threaten your unity? What are the commonalities that hold you together? The stronger the shared momentum of “What moves us?” and “What do we want to achieve?” among the members, the better you can maintain balance in this field of tension. Similar to riding a bicycle – only by moving forward can stability be maintained.
You can find the German Canvas here.
You can find the English Canvas here.
You can find the Spanish Canvas here.