"This book offers eight orienting insights about network building; each one frames a separate chapter, backed by case studies, illustrations, and how-to information.
1. Know the Network Difference. Networks have unique capabilities for achieving social impact that distinguish them from other forms of social organizing, and generative social-impact networks are particularly suited for addressing complex problems.
2. Design Thoughtfully. Social-impact networks can be thoughtfully designed from the start; you don’t have to fly blind.
3. Connect, Connect, Connect. The foundation of generative social-impact networks is the connectivity of its members to each other, which can be cultivated by network weavers.
4. Anticipate a Network’s Evolution. A generative network’s capabilities, complexity, and potential for impact increase as the connectivity of its members deepens and the structure of their connectivity evolves.
5. Enable and Adapt. The growth and development of established social-impact networks depend on managing a set of inevitable challenges. 6. Assess to Improve. Monitoring and assessing a social-impact network’s condition and performance is the basis for improving its impact.
7. Revisit Design. Making an existing network more generative, with more engaged members and impact, requires resetting of key design decisions to boost members’ connectivity.
8. Be Network-Centric. In addition to skills and knowledge, network builders hold a distinct net-centric point of view with its own rules.
The flow of chapters traces the life cycle of network building, from designing start-up networks to managing established networks, assessing their performance, and resetting their design to boost performance. With each chapter building on material in previous chapters, the book is designed to be read from front to back. But we’ve organized the table of contents so that you can find the particular topics that are on your need-to-know-now list." (Introduction, pages 10-11)