Harold,

First of all, thank you for your rich and ongoing contributions. I find resonance and inspiration in many of your posts. Keep it up!

I agree with what I hear you saying here, that networks are not simply a "so that" but an "as." Given that society is structured by interconnections, building and "rewiring" networks can be a critical process for making change. I have expressed this in a post on our IISC site after hearing someone in philanthropy say that "the network experiment is over." To me this both misses the point and is an expression of privilege that perhaps does not want to get the deeper potential here. The fact is that current systems are held together by networks of exchange that define what has value and who gets what value and under what terms. Shifting these patterns, by focusing on the number, nature, and pattern of connections, can yield fundamental change. More here - http://interactioninstitute.org/blog/2013/08/07/network-building-as-strategy.

Also, if your ears are burning, I lift you up as a key thought leader in our work for social change at the Institute - http://interactioninstitute.org/blog/2013/07/31/why-networks-for-social-change/.

With gratitude,

Curtis