Networks for Systems Change— Insights from our Oxford Convening
Network Leaders gather at Said Business School, November 2025.
As we advance our practice supporting networks and network leaders, we have been asking, “What more is needed to develop the field?” and “Where can we best contribute our energy and talents?” Along our journey, we have observed a few things:
Network leadership is different from start-up or organizational leadership and network leaders benefit from peer learning and tailored mentoring that addresses their unique questions and challenges
The work of leading networks is complex and not everyone “gets it.” Network leaders need spaces to re-energize and re-ignite their flame.
Funder approaches could be re-imagined to better align with and support the work of network leaders.
To test this thinking, we organized a two-day gathering in Oxford in November 2025, supported by The Atlantic Institute, The Skoll Centre & Wasan Network to convene network leaders from across Europe.
Participants who joined us are leading networks on equitable and regenerative agri-food systems, economic development and the root causes of inequity globally.
Here’s what we unearthed together. (You can read the full event report here.)
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Network Leadership is a unique and complex type of leadership and requires tailored support.
Participants brought a range of challenges that included:
Unlocking funding for networks when often the outcomes are longer term or less certain or controlled
Fostering collective action beyond trusted relationships
Designing effective network architectures that factor for diversity, power and collective decision making
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Philanthropy is a critical (and currently underutilized) enabler of systems-level networks.
Participants see philanthropy as having a distinctive and catalytic role, including:
Providing patient, flexible funding for learning, coordination, and sense-making
Supporting value creation and catalyzing locally-owned investment
Funding the “invisible work” of relationships, stewardship, and field coherence
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Peer learning is valuable for creating perspective shifts on and unlocking new approaches for complex issues.
We invited participants to bring their case challenges and get input from peers and expert mentors. Participants valued the rich wisdom exchange that unfolded:
“Going deep with questions together — rather than jumping to solutions — really shifted how I think about progress in complex systems.”
“It reminded me that networks are not something you design and then manage. They are living, relational systems that need care and patience.”
“I’m thinking much more about how I work across boundaries — and what it means to truly collaborate, not just coordinate.”
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Network Leaders are keen to keep engaging and exploring how they can strengthen their impact.
Participants see value in continuing to learn together and explore strategic questions that resonate across diverse sectors and issue areas, namely:
How to do this work at the scale that’s required for systemic impact?
What are the organizing infrastructures or collaborative models that will enable systems change?
What is our relationship with power? How do we as leaders feel empowerd to go big - like moonshot, tech-style scale?
So, what’s next?
The insights from our gathering have informed the design of NetRoots, a 12-week accelerator for network leaders and funders who invest in impact networks. We are applying a proven model that we have used effectively with entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs globally to now help network leaders deepen their impact.
If you are a network leader or a funder of networks, we’d love to speak with you about how we can collaborate to unlock the promise of this unique and valuable way of working.
