Convening for Action in British Columbia

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Jane Wei-Skillern

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Seed change through the power of relationships and networks” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in November 2025


    “I dream of a culture change in climate/conservation or the social impact field more broadly so that people, relationships and community come first even before strategy, linear solutions and institutional self-interest. I am always working toward that and seeking partners to do this work. The big idea is to try and seed a culture change and shift in climate-conservation work to one that really values the power of relationships and networks. It is about getting the flywheel going,” stated Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern. She is a thought leader in the field of network leadership.

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    PARTNERSHIP FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA DELIVERS RESULTS ACROSS BOUNDARIES: “My focus on building networks by investing in relationships and community is rooted in values that closely align with those of many indigenous communities,” stated Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern, Senior Fellow with the Center for Social Sector Leadership at the University of California Berkeley


    “When I was on the faculty at the Harvard Business School, I began my research into the concept of a networked approach that is more focused on network-building and trust-based relationships, and less about building an organization to get to your mission impact. People learn from and are inspired by stories. Work is easier, more effective and more fun when people collaborate. The big idea is to try and seed a culture change and shift in climate-conservation work to one that really values the power of relationships and networks,” explained Jane Wei-Skillern.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: ” Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Build the network to achieve mission impact” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in February 2024


    “In the early 2000s, when I was on the faculty at the Harvard Business School, I began my research into the concept of a networked approach that is more focused on network-building and trust-based relationships, and less about building an organization to get to your mission impact. The network emerges around a common goal, rather than a particular program or organizational model. The community mobilizes the resources from throughout the network and does this based on existing relationships in the community,” stated Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern, co-author of The Networked Nonprofit.

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    FOUR COUNTER-INTUITIVE PRINCIPLES FOR GROWING A NETWORK THROUGH COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP: “It was exciting to hear about the work of the British Columbia Partnership for Water Sustainability and how their approach has exemplified network leadership as I have conceptualized it,” stated Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern, Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley


    “The network emerges around a common goal, rather than a particular program or organizational model. The community mobilizes the resources from throughout the network, and based on existing relationships in the community. The solution is emergent and comes from the community members themselves, rather than being pushed from the top down. And finally, once a network is up and running and proves itself to be effective, It becomes the primary vehicle for change, rather than the individual organizations themselves,” stated Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Growing the Network through Collaborative Leadership” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in November 2021


    “Embracing collaborative leadership, growing a network based on shared aspirations, and delivering results across organizational boundaries differs in every way from building an organization in any conventional sense,” stated Mike Tanner. “The Partnership for Water Sustainability is a legal entity. Operationally, however, we function as the hub for a network in the local government setting. This approach reflects The Partnership genesis, first as a technical committee and then as a roundtable, before morphing into a legal entity. We are growing the Living Water Smart Network. We are not building a conventional organization.”

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    ENGAGE AND ALIGN ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN A NETWORK: “The Partnership brings individuals and organizations together to achieve a shared goal. Otherwise, they tend to become wrapped up within their own worlds and rarely venture beyond their boundaries,” stated Derek Richmond, a Founding Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability


    “The Partnership defines success in terms of how our partners incrementally make progress in achieving the vision for Living Water Smart in British Columbia. By that, we mean reconnect people, land, water and fish in altered landscapes! Bringing this vision to fruition requires an inter-generational commitment. The Partnership has a primary goal, to build bridges of understanding and pass the baton from the past to the present and future. The role of elders is therefore a lynch-pin for inter-generational collaboration,” stated Derek Richmond.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Power of Collaborative Leadership” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in June 2021


    “The Partnership is a legal entity, yet operationally it functions as a network rather than as an organization in any conventional sense. The work of The Partnership is guided by a network way-of-thinking that reflects our genesis as a water-centric technical committee in the 1990s. We recognize that to be successful in facilitating changes in practice over the long-term, the groundwork has to be done by our partners. This means that the work of The Partnership must be aligned with and support their organizational objectives,” stated Mike Tanner.

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