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Forming Networks

Forming Networks. Dr Bob Scholes CSIR Natural Resources and Environments 6 March 2014, CTCN Training, Nairobi. A definition.

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Forming Networks

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  1. Forming Networks Dr Bob Scholes CSIR Natural Resources and Environments 6 March 2014, CTCN Training, Nairobi

  2. A definition network (n) a relatively loose affiliation of organisations or individuals which agree to collaborate towards a common purpose, while retaining their individual mandates, resources and management

  3. Networks as a way of working Networks are an appropriate structure for addressing complex issues in which there are many affected parties, none of whom can solve the issue by working alone, and many linkages between them (Kickert et al 1997). They are also appropriate for work that requires many disciplines, unlikely to be found in one organisation, and too costly to retain just ‘in case’. Networks are intrinsically fluid and adaptive, therefore suited to activities which have multiple and and emerging objectives. Don’t work through a network unless it is the most effective and achievable option for reaching the objective.

  4. The drawbacks of networks • Accountability can be unclear • Coordination may be problematic • High and often hidden transaction costs • Can be an excuse not to build the proper institutions, right from the start

  5. Who is ‘in’?Membership rules for networks • Just two rules, preferably in writing • Must subscribe to the objectives of the network • Must agree to collaborate • I prefer to be inclusive rather than exclusive, but beware taking on liabilities not justified by their value addition

  6. Leadership styles • Positional • Command-and-control • Situational • The currency is influence, rather than power • More appropriate for networks

  7. Spheres of interest Out of your control, but affecting you Things you can influence Things you control Covey (1989)

  8. Minimising transaction costs • Keep meetings to the appropriate interval, length and scope • They should be for issues that need multiparty discussion, not just information or bilateral agreement • Important in the formation and closure phases • Use telcons or videoconferencing in between • Have an agenda and competent chair, record key action items in circulated minutes • Rather have fewer, stand-alone deliverables than more, highly dependent ones • Have clear and simple contracting arrangements • Where possible, have simple financial mechanisms with each partner responsible for their own auditing • Pay attention to version control, editting rights and order of editting in joint documents

  9. Governance modelsThe very simplest All-partner committee All PI’s, elected chair Coordinator Partner 1 Partner 2 Partner n Legally binding Informational

  10. Governance modelsSlightly more complicated: the real world Funder/client All-partner committee Chaired by lead PI Lead Partner Coordinator Partner n Partner 2

  11. Governance modelsSlightly more complicated: the real world Funder/client Legally binding Informational All-partner committee Chaired by lead PI Lead Partner Coordinator Partner n Partner 2

  12. Governance modelsBalanced power Funder n Stakeholder 1 Stakeholder n Stakeholder 2 Funder 1 Funder 2 Guiding Council Chaired by main funder All-partner Operational committee Chaired by director Secretariat Director Partner 1 Partner 2 Partner n

  13. The communication ‘Goldilocks zone’not to hot, not too cold, just right! • Individuals have widely different desires to be ‘in the know’ • Some prefer to just be informed when some action is needed from them • Others wish to at leas be notified, and often consulted, on all issues • There is no strictly ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ approach. You need to be sensitive to different partner’s styles and circumstances

  14. Project management • It ain’t rocket science! • Split the job into bite-sized tasks, allocate them to partners, work out their dependencies and deliverables, and work out a time line including some buffers • Software can help, but is not essential • Make sure that the project manager understands the difference between working in a network vs a hierarchical organisation • On brief, on budget, on time

  15. Contracting • Written ‘contracts’ can avoid a lot of trouble and confusion • A contract does not have to be complicated and legalistic • A document signed by all parties which stipulates what responsibilities each has to each other, and by when • It has to work for all parties, or else it is useless (and legally void)

  16. Some references Covey, SR 1989 The seven habits of highly effective people. Free press, 172 pp. Ford D, L-E Gadde, H Hakansson, I Snehota, 2011, Managing Business Relationships, (3rd Ed), Hoboken: John Wiley. Kickert, Walter J.M., Erik-Hans Klijn, and Joop F.M. Koppenjan. 1997a. Introduction: A Management Perspective on Policy Networks. In Managing Complex Networks, edited by Walter J.M. Kickert, Erik-Hans Klijn, and Joop EM. Koppenjan, 1-13. London: Sage Publications. McGuire, M 2002 Propositions on What Managers Do and Why They Do It. Public Administration Review, 62 ( 5), 599-609

  17. bscholes@csir.co.za

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