SYNAGOGUES

AS NETWORKS(and your role as Rabbi to get from here to there)

Lisa Colton

Chief Learning Officer, See3 Communications

Founder and President, Darim Online

434.977.1170 x 301 lisa@see3.com

@darimonline @lisacolton

WHAT IS A SYNAGOGUE?

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?

Martin Buber

“Collectivity is not a binding, but a bundling together; individuals packed together, armed and equipped in common, with only as much life from man to man as will inflame the marching step … community… is the being no longer side by side but with one another of a multitude of persons… [While] collectivity is based on an organized atrophy of personal existence, community [is based] on its increase and confirmation in life lived toward one another.

Between Man and Man, 2002

Max Weber

Traditional, where our being together seems normative, as a given;

Charismatic, temporary experiences where emotional bounds are at the center;

Instrumental Rational, where specific rules and procedures guide how we interact; and

Value Rational, where shared values and vision guide how we relate to one another.

Working Understanding

In community, people are bound together primarily by a shared sense of mutual responsibility toward one another (as an intrinsic value), not because they have to, not only during transitory liminal moments in their life, and not based primarily on a transactional relationship.

“Organizations no longer have a monopoly on organizing.”

-Clay Shirky

Flying: Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn

Traditional Mindset: Hub & Spokes

Network Mindset

“connect and collaborate” rather than “command and control”

SO, HOW DO WE DO IT?

1. Open Yourself Up2. Know & Knit the Network3. Network Weavers and CEOs4. Think Differently About Measurement and Risk

Fortress: Insiders in, Outsiders out

Sponge: Constant flow in and out

Leadership: Questioning Assumptions

• What is public or transparent information?

• Who is inside or outside of our community?

• What is ‘membership’?

• Where do we need to hire expertise?

• How are we evaluating progress towards our

mission and goals?

Improving the Health of Your Network

http://ccc.georgkolb.com/

Know & Knit the Network

Mapping can

illuminate key

opportunities for

action and

investment

know the net -- see the

map of how things really

work

knit the net -- adjust the

network for

improvements

LinkedIn Labs Network Visualizations

Temple Israel, Memphis Facebook Page

Listen.

Socialize.

Temple Israel, Memphis Facebook Page

NETWORK WEAVERS

June Holley’s Definition: A Network Weaver is someone who is aware of the networks around them and explicitly works to make them healthier (more inclusive, bridging divides).

Network Weavers do this by connecting people strategically where there’s potential for mutual benefit, helping people identify their passions, and serving as a catalyst for self-organizing groups.

Network Weaver RolesConnector Catalyst

Connects people.

Gets network building started.

Build social culture.

Network Facilitator

Helps convene people to set up a

more explicit and focused

network.

Self-Organized

Project Coordinator

Helps coordinate

self-organized projects.

Network Guardian

Helps put in place systems for

networks: communications,

training, support, etc.

Every community needs all of these roles.

Which are you? What does your community need?

Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, Kavana Cooperative

“Many of Kavana’s most successful programs have community building as a core goal, and use some degree of social engineering as a means to this end. Our home-hospitality Shabbat program, for example, is deceptively simple in that is requires no space, rental, (partners host small groups in their own home for Shabbat dinner on designated dates), no programming supplies or food (means are potluck), and no formal curriculum (each host family is encourage to share how it celebrates Shabbat). But behind the scenes, this is one of the more complex (and administratively labor-intensive) programs that Kavana runs... As the rabbi of the community, nothing is more gratifying to me than knowing that the matches we make sometimes lead to genuine friendships and a true sense of social connection.”

YOU ARE THE CEO:

CHIEF ENGAGEMENT

OFFICER

Questioning Assumptions

“Our congregation’s leadership engages in ongoing

discussions regarding how to best spend our resources to

fulfill our mission. I now understand that we have been acting

in a bubble, often divorced from the needs, desires, and

perspective of our membership.

—Rabbi Michael White,

Temple Sinai of Roslyn Heights

Meaningful Social Connections

Drivers for Overall Satisfaction and Personal

Growth

(in order of relative strength)

• Vision and values of synagogue resonate.

• Rabbi’s vision of Jewish life resonates.

• Meaningful social connections developed.

“We had tried social programming in the past but never got the turnout we

hoped for, which led us to conclude (wrongly) that people did not want to make

social connections through the Religious School. Measuring Success helped

us develop a targeted follow-up survey to probe deeper about social

connections. That led to an “aha moment” when we learned that people do

want to make social connections, they just do not want us to add new

events to their calendars. When we realized that, we took steps to build

socializing and community-building into existing events.”

—Barri Waltcher, VP and Chair of Religious School Committee, Temple

Shaaray Tefila

WE NEED

TO THINK

DIFFERENTLY

ABOUT RISK

TILL THE SOIL BEFORE YOU PLANT

• Institutional Values, Identity and Boundaries

• Policies and Procedures• Financial Considerations• Culture Change• What To Measure!

THIS IS AN ATTENTION ECONOMY

WHAT IS A SYNAGOGUE?

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?

John Fitch’s Steam Engine

John Fitch’s Steam Engine

Source: Flickr user JYRO

Source: Flickr user Rick Neves

Source: Flickr user divemasterking2000