Facilitating Process - Training

Network approaches and Alliance management: Expert meeting & event

Can networks and alliances be managed?

MDF and PSO invite you as network practitioner to this event on networking approaches

Date:  13 April 2011, 13:30 – 17:00.

Place:   Utrecht, Hoog Brabant, route description, see: Hoog Brabant

Contribution:  € 25,-

Registration:  Use the arrow next to the date on the right of this webpage

What is it about

Networks, alliances, coalitions, multi stakeholder partnerships, federations, platforms, value chains, etc., etc…: nobody escapes from the reality that the dynamics that matter are no longer confined to organisations or projects. Yet, most of the common methodologies for management, funding and M&E, have been developed for hierarchies. How can we deal with the new reality? How can you manage networks?

We challenge you as network practitioners to explore ways to increase the capacity of the network to perform its role and to deliver desirable results. What are the issues to solve for managing networks properly? Is it possible anyway?

Network relationships

In an increasingly complex environment network relationships become more important than organisational structures. You cannot achieve most development targets without effective cooperation between partners. Funding agencies take it as a condition that development organisations are operating in alliances, networks or similar forms of collaboration. Efforts to manage networks with tools for organisations and projects with hierarchical structures often fail.

Network relationships become more important than organisational structures. You cannot achieve most development targets without effective cooperation between partners. Networks are an answer to operate in an increasingly complex environment.

In practice, the success of actors working together in networks for a common goal depends on the ability to manage – simultaneously –  the content-based results, as well as the dynamics of the relationship between the actors.  What is at stake in the dynamics between the partners is effectively feeding trust and enthusiasm.

The leading questions

• What kind of management is required in networks?
• And how does this relate to common tools for project management, tools for monitoring and evaluation, and requirements for getting funding for projects?

Based on two concrete case experiences, we jointly will analyse them against the network approach we use in practice and research. With you we hope to discuss your experiences in networking, and any other network approaches you use.

Organisers

PSO is presently carrying out an action research with six donor assisted networks, most of them working in an international context. MDF facilitates networks and alliances and is developing  a two weeks training on Active Alliance & Network Management. For both activities we wish to know what you encounter as important themes.

As the organisers of this expert meeting, we wish to exchange experiences and views with you as practitioners, and to identify what issues regarding network management need to be addressed. What are the puzzles to solve, and what pearls are there to be found in the experiences we share at this meeting that might be helpful for finding more answers?

Tentative Programme, Hoog Brabant, Utrecht

Download the flyer here.

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