We are always dealing with networks at different levels simultaneously.

When action needs to be taken, it is important to know in what interaction patterns you want to intervene.  I differentiate between three distinct levels:

• Core Network
• Horizontal Network
• Vertical Network

The Core Network is made up of partners who have joined forces to make an idea a reality. This is the "home base". Initially it might be just you. The next step is to find allies who share your ambition. Maybe you inspire them. Maybe they inspire you. Sometimes the ambition emerges from a dialogue within an existing social network.

The Core Network is composed of people who want to bring about change in their world together.

The Horizontal Network consists of actors who must move to make your initiative successful. They might not know that they are a part of it

It is up to the Core Network to strategically motivate the actors in the Horizontal Network.

The Vertical Network is everyone in the world where the change is to take place. All networks, big and small, are in the end connected with the global ecosystem which functions as a giant living organism. The quest for sustainable development is nothing less than the duty to keep our world healthy.

Any movement for change in Horizontal Networks should take into account its knock-on effects on the larger networks they are part of. In one way or another, it should contribute positively to the bigger picture.

The network tools in the FAN approach apply to each of these levels, but it is important to first identify the level at which the issue at hand is relevant to.

See also:
What is a Network?
Networks, Structures and Systems