Learning about networks

[Christine Prefontaine]

Today Silvia, Kike, Meddie, Floro, Partha, Frank, and I got together to provide feedback to Meddie, who writing telecentre.org's network support strategy. As part of the meeting, Floro asked us "What's the one piece of practical advice you'd give to a group people who want to start a new telecentre network?" This led to a discussion about what we've observed and learned over the last few years, which I'd like to share here with you.

Get a facilitator. Invest in finding and retaining a facilitator — a person who understands group dynamics and can help people connect, listen to each other, achieve consensus, and make decisions. Ideally this is someone neutral, with no personal stake in the outcomes — the facilitator should not be a network leader, but rather a network weaver. Facilitation is key at large events, but it can also be critical for small groups (like a steering committee meetings). Online facilitation between gatherings creates opportunities for community members to know and trust each other, helps people stay connected, and promotes participation and knowledge sharing.

Bring together the whole community. Invite the whole community to a meeting where they can meet each other in person. Include everyone.

Identify champions. Highlight strong members who can lift up others.

Create a simple directory. This way people have each others name and contact information. They can see who is in the network, where they are located, and what they do.

Define services, value, and expectations. Explain why the network is important and what benefits it will bring to the community. Define what services the network will offer. Outline what is expected of community members.

Provide structure. Create a structure that the network can hang on. It does not have to be formal — just a place for the network to call home.

Include outsiders. Build coalitions with people outside of the telecentre community: bloggers, development experts, businesspeople. Invite them to participate. Open your network to others who may help you.

Individual achievements always benefit the entire network. People within networks often worry that others are getting more than they are: "Why did they get funding and not us?" "Why did they submit that proposal as their organization and not together with us as the whole network?" But we've learned that the contrary is true. In the end, the success of one network member always benefits all members.

Engage operators. Make sure that your network does not just involve telecentre/network leaders and coordinators. You need to engage grassroots operators for the network to be successful. Ask what it means to involve practitioners and what you can expect.

Celebrate diversity. There are many ways to build and structure networks. We've seen dozens of models: multistakeholder, social franchise, government, groups within a larger ICT4D community, etc. These different models should be celebrated.

We finished up by identifying the characteristics of those networks we consider to be the strongest. These included committed (doing the work with or without donor support), able to learn and adapt from the process of building the network, serious and hardworking, enthusiastic and positive members and employees (good feeling when you spend time with them), able to create together, efficient and professional, able to include and work with members who have very different ideas and politics.