Cascades

A “cascade” is a movement that scales and gains support from many small-group networks. Cascading movements succeed based on six principles.

Hierarchies used to be very powerful, but that has changed. As the world around hierarchies has become faster – including the pervasive growth of digital technology – other forms and structures, like networks, have gained impact. Those networks tend to form “tight clusters” as the social distance between their members decreases.

These new networks have important advantages over hierarchies. While networks have low formal hierarchy and control, they empower their members at the frontline level of an organization. Cascades form out of these networks and make movements successful as they reach "easily influenced" people who influence others in turn.  Connections among a movement’s supporters make the cascade strong. For example, consider these social and political movements worldwide:

• The Orange Revolution in the Ukraine.
• The Otpor resistance movement in Serbia.
• The anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
• The civil ...