Title reads 'Definitions of Organising Models'. In the background is a close up of three snowflakes.

Definitions of Organising Models

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Introduction

Here is a list of definitions of different organising models, including the snowflake model, strike circles, distributed network, Ganz model, etc. This list of definitions is from an academic paper published in 2025 in The Organizing Journal, which summarises the first known exploration of the community organising landscape across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The list illustrates the combination and evolution of organising models and approaches mentioned by the survey respondents.

The academic paper was developed from a project by the Commons Social Change Library, Australian Conservation Foundation, and Australian Progress which aimed to fill a gap in understanding how advocacy groups organise in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Organising Models

Ganz Model

Marshall Ganz’s organizing model focuses on developing leadership through relationships, storytelling, and strategy.

It emphasizes the importance of building teams, creating shared purpose, and developing the capacity for strategic action. The model combines personal narrative (the “Story of Self”), collective identity (the “Story of Us”), and a vision for change (the “Story of Now”) to motivate and mobilize people for collective action (Ganz 2010).

Source:

2010. Ganz, Marshall. “Leading Change: Leadership, Organization, and Social Movements.” Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice 19:1–10.

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Momentum Model

The Momentum model is a hybrid organizing approach that combines elements of structure-based organizing and mass protest movements.

It focuses on creating cascading cycles of momentum through escalating action, narrative power, and frontloading training.

The model emphasizes building decentralized networks, creating a transformative narrative, and maintaining nonviolent discipline to achieve social change at scale.

Source:

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Snowflake Model

The Snowflake model is a decentralized organizing structure that distributes leadership and decision-making across multiple levels of an organization or movement.

It emphasizes empowering individuals to take on leadership roles, creating autonomous teams, and facilitating rapid scaling through replication of organizational structures.

The model is named for its visual resemblance to a snowflake, with a central hub connected to multiple nodes, each of which can become a hub for additional nodes. (Ganz 2010)

Although originating from the Ganz model, survey respondents perceived and described it as a distinct and separate model.

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Strike Circles

The strike circles organizing model is a decentralized approach to labor organizing that focuses on building networks of workers who can quickly mobilize for collective action.

It emphasizes creating small, autonomous groups of workers (circles) who meet regularly to discuss workplace issues, build solidarity, and plan actions. These circles are interconnected, allowing for rapid communication and coordination across a workplace or industry.

The model aims to empower rank-and-file workers to lead their own organizing efforts and to create a flexible, resilient structure for sustained labor activism (e.g., McAlevey, Jane. 2016. No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age. Oxford University Press.).

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Directed Network Structure

The directed network structure is an organizing model that combines decentralized, grassroots activism with centralized strategic coordination.

It features relatively autonomous local groups connected through shared issues or goals, supported by centrally located formal organizations.

These central bodies provide resources, professional support, and overall campaign strategy, while local groups maintain flexibility in their tactics and day-to-day operations.

This model aims to balance the benefits of decentralized, community-based organizing with the strategic advantages of coordinated, large-scale mobilization

Sources:

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Circles of Commitment Model

The circles of commitment model organizes supporters into concentric circles based on their level of engagement and commitment.

The innermost circle represents the most dedicated core activists, with outer circles representing progressively less involved supporters.

This model aims to create clear pathways for increasing engagement, allowing individuals to move from peripheral involvement to core leadership roles.

It emphasizes the importance of relationship-building and provides a structure for targeted communication and task assignment based on commitment level

Source:

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Californian Farm Workers Union

The California farm workers union model of organizing is characterized by its use of nonviolent tactics, emphasis on worker empowerment, and integration of cultural and spiritual elements into labor activism.

This approach combines traditional union organizing methods with community-based strategies, including boycotts, fasts, and pilgrimages.

It emphasizes building a strong sense of identity and solidarity among workers, often leveraging cultural and religious symbols to mobilize support and create a moralframework for the struggle

Source:

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Common Ground Approach

The common ground approach to organizing generally refers to a strategy that focuses on finding shared interests and values among diverse groups or individuals, even those who might typically be seen as opponents.

This model emphasizes dialogue, relationship-building, and identifying mutual concerns as a basis for collective action.

Bespoke

Customized organizing frameworks that integrate selected elements from multiple organizing models and methodologies.

This category also includes organizing groups which described their approach as decentralized organizing in general, rather than referring to a specific model.

Access Full Resource

Download the academic paper free from the Community Organizing Journal:

Embracing Opportunities and Navigating Challenges: A Study of Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Progressive Advocacy Groups’ Community Organizing Models, pgs 8 – 9

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