[Interview] Multi-Directional Interpreter of the Impact Ecosystem (Part 2): Sincerity for Building a Healthy Network Ecosystem
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| Jung-woong Park, Team Lead at Impact Alliance, builds networks through various engagement activities. (Photo courtesy of Jung-woong Park) |
For the social impact ecosystem to expand and thrive, healthy networks are essential. Within a network, people spend time collaborating, engaging in intense debates, and uniting to solve shared social problems. However, because a network is built between human beings, it cannot be forced or manufactured overnight. It is only possible when people willingly offer their time and hearts.
In the previous article, we published the first interview with Jung-woong Park, Team Lead at Impact Alliance and a community specialist in Korea's social impact ecosystem. He introduced Impact Alliance—an association of impact-driven organizations—and shared his unique know-how for building a healthy community.
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Today, we share the second part of our interview with Jung-woong Park. In this installment, he speaks candidly about why networks are necessary in the social impact sector, offering his honest thoughts as both a network partner and a community specialist.
Q: Since many social impact organizations operate on a small scale, many struggle with immediate survival and may feel they lack the time to invest in networking. Do you believe communities are still necessary for these organizations?
A: Yes, absolutely.
Lately, I often think that what we need most today is 'resilience.' Even when things go wrong, the ability to bounce back and maintain a healthy balance—that resilience—is crucial. Networks provide immense strength in building this resilience.
This is especially true in South Korea, where the density of competition is extremely high. Are founders any different? Not at all. Because competition is so intense, founders must constantly pitch their ideas just to participate in startup support programs. Continuously pitching, however, takes a severe toll on a team's mental health. That is why organizations need a supportive community and an environment where they can feel validated, no matter what stories they share.
Furthermore, when you attempt to solve a social problem, numerous stakeholders are involved. Once key stakeholders participate in defining a specific issue, suddenly altering course shatters their trust. Changing a decision requires significant time. Therefore, 'cooperation' is the fundamental starting point for solving social problems. A social problem cannot be solved by a single organization or a single solution holding a monopoly; it requires expanding the scale of cooperation.
Fundamentally, organizations must grow through cooperation rather than competition. To scale cooperation, we must recognize that connections are formed between people, not institutions. Consequently, networking rarely receives priority investment compared to product development or business models. For a network to endure, an altruistic networking approach is required. Networks built solely as interest groups rarely last, because that contradicts the true nature of the social impact sector. For an association or council to serve as a meaningful network, it must operate on an altruistic consciousness—a commitment to existing for the broader ecosystem.
Q: Connecting to the previous question, do conflicts or clashes of interest arise during inter-organizational collaboration or networking? If so, could you share your know-how for mediating them?
A: In my field, I believe the true starting point for 'cooperation' is actually 'conflict' or 'clashes of interest.' This means that at the very beginning, most collaborations do not work smoothly.
Most people assume that to solve a problem, they must build a new environment or an external solution. In reality, simply adjusting your own starting point resolves many issues. I prefer this method because it is something within my control. Attempting to construct something externally is often beyond my control.
Great collaboration from day one is extremely rare. There is no secret formula for building good collaboration; it only comes from honestly investing time to build altruistic networks. This ties directly back to complex adaptive systems, emergence, and resilience.
On a more practical level regarding specific collaborations, people usually gather around shared goals and shared benefits. In my experience, however, those setups rarely succeed. Collaborations between organizations in the exact same industry almost never work because neither side is willing to compromise their own benefits. Furthermore, setting aside one's own concerns and benefits to define a completely new problem together is difficult.
Therefore, you must design collaborations based on 'Same Purpose, Different Benefits.' From an orchestration perspective, the benefits gained by the participants should not overlap.
Q: In the social impact ecosystem, we often see temporary networks form around government subsidies or grant cycles, only to disperse once the funding ends. What alternatives are needed to build self-sustaining, long-term communities that aren't swayed by financial capital?
A: First, although difficult, we must build a structure where support serves as 'added value' rather than 'operational funding.' For example, if Organization A hosts a community, people should be able to gather and converse even without any financial support. You establish a minimal structure where operations can continue zero-budget. Then, when grants or sponsorships arrive, they enhance the value rather than dictate existence.
Ultimately, I believe what is needed most is love. You have to love these stories, these people, and this ecosystem to sustain your work over the long haul. To keep loving this ecosystem, you need an approach that asks, 'Which perspective is most effective for me?' rather than 'Who is right?' At the end of the day, when times are tough, simply knowing 'there is at least one good person by my side' gives immense strength.
Q: As a community specialist, what is your ultimate goal?
A: I have met many truly wonderful people in the social impact ecosystem. Roughly one out of ten people I met was genuinely good. Looking at society as a whole, finding one truly good person out of ten is quite rare.
My goal is for these wonderful colleagues to remain in this ecosystem for a long time. I want us to become each other's reward. That is my ultimate goal.
Q: Is there a final message you would like to share with social impact practitioners who are navigating solidarity and collaboration in their respective fields?
A: One thing I would like us to reflect on together concerns AI, which is so prominent today. Put simply, let's use AI to save our colleagues.
Using the word 'save' might sound dramatic, but many people are truly struggling right now. Finding employment is difficult, and organizational growth has slowed down. If someone uses AI exceptionally well but breaks promises or bypasses established team protocols, using AI well loses its meaning. I hope we reflect deeply on how to use AI thoughtfully.
Second, let's seek out people who love both their 'work' and their 'colleagues.' It is best to avoid people who love neither. Most people fall into the average range—meaning they love their work but not their colleagues, or they love their colleagues but not their work. I include myself in that average range as well.
However, occasionally you meet people who love both their work and their colleagues. They are that '1 out of 10' I mentioned—or perhaps 1 out of 1,000 in broader society. Let's meet those people, connect them, or strive to become that kind of person ourselves. If we do, we can ultimately become each other's reward. And wouldn't that make for a truly good life? That is what I believe.
❓❔Do you have questions for Team Lead Jung-woong Park?๐
We value your curiosity! If you have specific questions for Jung-woong Park, please send an email to [Email Address]. We will gather your questions and conduct a follow-up interview to address them in an upcoming post.
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