Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to ScaleThe Berkana InstituteBRKN_882eb324-8bd6-11ef-90c3-93dc0983ea00Margaret WheatleyCo-Author ~ 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 FriezeCo-Author ~ 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 pressing 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.A truly hopeful future_beae4912-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea00To outline the lifecycle of emergence_beae4a5c-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea00EmergenceNetworksEnable people to find others engaged in similar work_beae4b06-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea00Stage OneWe live in a time when coalitions, alliances and networks are forming as 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 based on self-interest: people usually network together for their own benefit and to develop their own work. Networks tend to have fluid membership; people move in and out of them based on how much they personally benefit from participating._beae4b56-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea00CoPsDevelop communities of practice_beae4bb0-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea00Stage TwoCommunities of PracticeCommunities of Practice ~ Networks make it possible for people to find others engaged in similar work. The second stage of emergence is the development of communities of practice (CoPs). Many such smaller, individuated communities can spring from a robust network. CoPs are also selforganized. People share a common work and realize there is great benefit to being in relationship. They use this community to share what they know, to support one another, and to intentionally create new knowledge for their field of practice. These CoPs differ from networks in significant ways. They are communities, which means that people make a commitment to be there for each other; they participate not only for their own needs, but to serve the needs of others. In a community of practice, the focus extends beyond the needs of the group. There is an intentional commitment to advance the field Networks: Discovering Shared Meaning and Purpose 6 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 move rapidly among members. New knowledge and practices are implemented quickly. The speed at which knowledge development and exchange happens is crucial, because local regions and the world need this knowledge and wisdom now._beae4c1e-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea00InfluenceIntentionally work with emergence_beae4cbe-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea00Stage ThreeSystems of Influence ~ The third stage in emergence can never be predicted. It is the sudden appearance of a system that has real power and influence. Pioneering efforts that hovered at the periphery suddenly become the norm. The practices developed by courageous communities become the accepted standard. People no longer hesitate about adopting these approaches and methods, and they learn them easily. Policy and funding debates 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 be done suddenly become chief supporters (often saying they knew it all along). ^^ Emergence is the fundamental scientific explanation for how local changes can materialize as global systems of influence. As a change theory, it offers methods and practices to accomplish the systems-wide changes that are so needed at this time. As leaders and communities of concerned people, we need to intentionally work with emergence so that our efforts will result in a truly hopeful future. No matter what other change strategies we have learned or favored, emergence is the only way change really happens on this planet. And that is very good news._beae4d2c-8bd8-11ef-b06a-e2340a83ea002024-10-16https://berkana.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Emergence-Booklet-English.pdfOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net