Management of Networking and Communication

These are the main messages regarding process management in a local economic development initiative:

1. Don't spend too much time planning without implementation

2. Start early with projects 

• which are easy to implement and face little risk of failure

• with a visible impact = motivate everybody to continue

3. Don't think that the process is a sequence!

• It's iterative: planning, action, evaluation / feedback, more planning, more action, etc.

• It's never finished!

4. Don't be surprised if people drop out of the process - it's normal

• Include those people who run the projects

• Expect to deal with a number of dilemmas

The main dilemmas in network management

There is a number of typical dilemmas in network management. As dilemmas go, there is no easy solution. Network managers have to be aware of them, and have to deal with them in the way which seems most appropriate to the respective setting. These are the dilemmas:

The ownership dilemma

The self-organisation dilemma

The collective conservatism dilemma

The communication dilemma

The power dilemma

The legitimacy dilemma

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The ownership dilemma

• Tasks have to be taken care of

• Some people have to take responsibility

• They become promoters

• Project promoters "own" their project

• Barriers emerge between promoters and other people involved

• Isolated core group, frustrated periphery

Observe the emergence of the dilemma
Reflect about opportunities for action
Keep areas of responsibility flexible
Redistribute responsibilities, especially if individuals become overburdened

The self-organisation dilemma

• As a network of actors emerges, uncoordinated work processes evolve

• Increasing necessity of communication and coordination

• Crisis of complexity

• Centralisation of steering

• Trade-off between centralisation and flexibility / responsiveness

Define responsibilities (temporary order)
Create a platform for management (permanent order)
Balance order and disorder

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The collective conservatism dilemma

• Shared problem-definition within sub-group

• Lack of understanding between in-group and out-group

• Diverging perceptions between sub-group and environment

• Trade-off between effective organisation of work and loss of opportunities for external cooperation

Make implicit routines explicit
Reflect on and question routines
Seek communication with environment

The communication dilemma

• Petty conflicts make cooperation difficult

• Underlying personal conflicts escalate

• Ignore conflicts:
  Tension calms down - or process calms down

• Deal with conflicts:
  Conflict is solved - or escalates

Analyse conflicts
Ignore conflicts
Mediate conflicts
"Generate" conflict, rather than waiting for it to evolve - and become more difficult to handle

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The power dilemma

• Initially, differences in power are ignored

• As work proceeds, imbalances in the distribution of resources (power, money, information, knowledge) become relevant

• Chicken-pig-problem ('The other day, the chicken addressed the pig: "I have a business proposal. Let's form a joint venture - ham and eggs. I provide the eggs. You provide the ham"'.)

• Overall development goals cannot be achieved if weak actors are marginalised

Be aware of power differences
Make particular interests explicit
Empower the less powerful
Define rules and procedures

The legitimacy dilemma

• Persons from different organisations meet at the stakeholders' forum

• Organisations do not necessarily have clear internal decision-making procedures, mandate of representative may be unclear

• Forum's decisions are relevant to the respective organisations

• Problems arise if organisation's members disagree with forum's decision

• Decision-making impasse, or members quit participating

Clarify role of members: as "representatives" or as "person"
Clarify organisations' interests and goals

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