A network consists of any group of individuals or organizations who actively and consistently exchange information or undertake joint activities around a central theme and organize themselves in such a way that their individual autonomy remains intact:
Networking is not, for example, a mailing list, or the one-way flow from one research centre to inform people of its activities, or the provision of a service to other individuals.
Two common types of network are the following:
A collaborative process of information exchange, around a central theme, carried out by actively interested parties. Particular emphasis is placed on the speed and informality with which information can be processed and circulated from a member of the network to other members, and a response obtained.
A group of individuals or institutions linked together because of commitment to collaborate in solving a common agricultural problem or set of problems and to use existing resources more effectively. ARNs generally seek to focus research efforts; they are based in institutions and they target an agreed set of problems.
(a) Objective may be one of the following:
- mainly to improve information exchanges;
- to allow collaboration in research, in training, etc;
- multiple objectives, including information exchange and practical collaboration.
(b) Membership: bringing together or linking ...
- people working at the same level (e.g. researchers or developers), or people of different levels (e.g. researchers and extensionists);
- individuals, organizations (institutions, NGOs, etc.) or a mixture of them.
(c) Geographical scope
- national (subnational or nation-wide)
- international (regional, agro-ecological or global)
(d) Structure
- formal, highly centralized, e.g. as in the hub-and-spoke model where networking takes place only between members and a strong central coordination unit headed by a full-time professional coordinator.
- intermediate e.g. as in the rim-effect model (loose central coordination; widely dispersed membership; networking possible not only with the central coordination unit but also between members) or the clover model (rim-effect model applied at two levels, with a central coordinating secretariat/steering committee networking with secondary smaller networks).
- informal, decentralized, e.g. in the absence of any formal central coordination.
(e) Management
- formal: coordinator, secretariat, steering committee
- informal: through the members themselves
(f) Activities: they should be interesting and beneficial to members; they normally include the following:
- exchange activities: mail, workshops, visits, joint active assignments, etc;
- production and dissemination activities: newsletter, publications and training;
- management activities.
- lack of clear objective(s);
- heterogeneity of membership (types, levels, language ...);
- heterogeneity of context (agro-ecological, economic, political, social);
- strong centralization and bureaucracy;
- lack of resources for coordination and for activities (newsletter, communications, workshops, etc.).
For international networks structured around a secretariat or a steering committee in particular, there should be at least a modest core funding for the essential management activities such as communications, planning meetings and international travel.
To be successful in the long term, a network should be characterized by:
- widely shared problem or goal;
- clear objective(s) and a realistic strategy for working towards solutions;
- balance between structured and flexible management;
- balanced membership;
- members committed and capable to contribute time and/or information;
- adequate financial resources;
- development of skills through specific training or as a by-product of networking;
- motivation stimuli from exchanges and regular communication, overcoming isolation;
- active linkages with other successful networks to exchange experiences and to cooperate, especially for specific training and publication of guidelines (e.g. for electronic exchanges, workshop presentations, research protocols, project proposals);
- legitimacy and wide recognition with the help of easily identifiable name/acronym and network logo.
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[2] These background notes are
based on two excellent books available both in English (Nelson and Farrington,
1994; Starkey, 1997) and in French (Nelson and Farrington, 1996; Starkey,
1998). |
