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BUILDING NETWORKED ORGANISATIONSAn informal discussion
Carlos Mataix
Visiting fellow at IDS
Director of itdUPM
1th May
OBJECTIVE
To provoke a conversation on how to reinforce the STEPS internal and external network
In a context of organisational change at IDS
Taking itdUPM as a source of inspiration (with similarities and differences)
OUTLINE
A brief introduction to itdUPM
Networked organisations in academia
Change process towards genuine networks
Discussion
What in common with STEPS?
Why so much effort?
Some crucial issues
• 40.000 Graduate and Post-graduate Students
• International Campus of Excellence
• The Spanish academic institution which receives the
largest funding from the European Commission for
research programs
• 20 Engineering Schools
Technical University of Madrid (UPM)
itdUPM
www.upm.es
www.itd.upm.es
International Development at UPM
Tradition of applied research from 90s
UPM evolution on studies and research for development
Origins
More than 20 research groups started to work in international development.90s
UPM evolution on studies and research for development
Origins
More than 20 research groups were started in international development.
First steps to create an interdisciplinary centre.
Masters Degree in Technology for Human Development.
90s
2008
2010
UPM evolution on studies and research for development
Origins
More than 20 research groups were started in international development.
First steps to create an interdisciplinary centre.
Masters Degree in Technology for Human Development.
itdUPM is constitued
90s
2008
2010
2012
itdUPM
Structure
Steering committee
(18 members from 10 Sch.)
15 research
groups
associated
173 members
Technical Team
• Knowledge management
• Partnering
• Communication
National and
International
Network
Educational programs
Official Master from 2011
1,5 years (6 months internships). Comprehensive training
that combines lectures with practical workshops and
experience in the field
Master Degree in Technology for Human Development
Network Master Partners
10 university departments
Agreements with Aid Agencies,
NGO and enterprises
Students internships
Applied research: Programs
itdGREEN. Livelihoods and sustainable production
itdORG. Innovation for the universalisation and quality of basic services
itdTECH. Product innovation
itdDATA. Innovative uses of ICT for development
itdEMERGENCY. Disaster Management and Humanitarian Crises
Applied research
Ongoing Projects (examples)
Applied research
Multidisciplinar actions
Social Entrepreneurship Projects
Examples on ICT and Big Data
www.malariaspot.com
www.ehas.org
www.digitalopportunities.org
Using Big Data for development
applications such as disease
diagnosis.
Improving public health care
systems in rural areas of Latin
American countries, through the
use of new information
technologies and communication.
Digital OpportunitiesStart ups training academies
itdUPM/STEPS
Differences
• Promoters have a long record on
development and sustainability
• Members belong to different university
units (departments, institutes,…)
• Importance of international network
• Mission: we both are committed in
promoting interdisciplinary research as
a condition to deal with sustainability
issues
• UPM is a technical university (practical
approach, weaker theoretical
development background)
• Tradition and budget are different
(specially if compared with IDS)
• itdUPM is born in the midst of the
Spanish crisis
Similarities
Evolution of funds
AECID funds. 2004 - 2013 PCI-AECID funds
itdUPM is born in the midst of a huge drop of the public budget allocated to
international development
2012 0 euros
2013 0 euros
Interdisciplinary work requires networked forms of
organization
A networked organisations is…
More than a “sexy” organisation chart based on nodes and links.
More than a word that is repeated insistently.
An enabling, organic space where interactions are crucial,
… where processes and management systems are far from
bureaucracies,
… where strategic behaviour is far from formal planning,
reinforcing emergent strategies.
Our experience at itdUPM
• Importance of narratives: insisting in “we are a network, a
cluster…” may be counterproductive
• “Sense-making process” is crucial. People (researchers and
professors) have not good references, and may be suspicious:
“the network is going to capture my merits”
• The more diversity, the more problematic (according to Stirling
concept of diversity: “disparity” is more difficult to be managed
than “variety”; “balance” need to be worked in a medium term
perspective)
• An initial coalition may be essential
• Academia is an adverse ecosystem for internal networking
(where silos flourishes)
UNDERSTANDING INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: FAST-
MOVING AND SLOW-MOVING INSTITUTIONS
Gérard Roland
SOME DRIVERS toward
networked institutions in academia
4 Critical factors (there are more)
Incentives
Leadership
Spaces
Identities
Incentives
Which are the incentives that we really have at our disposalto stimulate internal collaboration?
Our experience at itdUPM
• The “classical/coercive” incentives (money and contractual)
were not in our hands
• But the lack of funds for traditional micro-projects has been
(surprisingly) a strong incentive for collaboration
• “Quick wins” have been essential
• Thinking in terms of internal services: we identified what was
missing and could be offered
• Emotional incentives have been crucial (belonging to an
emerging and vibrate community “fresh environment”)
• Institutional framework/status is essential
An example
A new institutional framework had to be negotiated (former
institutional options -institutes and research centre- were not
conceived for networked institutions)
Leadership
What team do we need to pilot the process in terms ofcapabilities, leadership style...?
Our response at itdUPM
• A style of “silent and collective” leadership has been promoted
(“super egos” do not fit in itdUPM culture)
• Important effort to create a sense of community (10 years
building trust among groups)
• The technical and administrative team was designed for internal
and external cohesion of the network (only 5 persons: but high
communication and interpersonal skills)
• Transparency and accountability
• Capacity for self-criticism and correction:
too much fragmentation?; results?; complementarity?…
An example
Post-AECID vision (sense of anticipation)
• In 2010, 90% of UPM funds for development coming from
AECID and other public sources (many micro-projects).
• In 2013, 70% funds come from private companies and “new”
donors (multi-disciplinar and bigger projects).
Spaces for interaction
How to create new spaces that really promote cross-unit relationships, fostering a sense of community and an open culture of trust?
Our experience at itdUPM
• Physical interaction is difficult at UPM (20 Centres..)
• Digital comm is crucial
• But physical spaces are essential for building a coherent network,
and managing the organisational culture
(rules, common rituals, training..)
• Integrante in "mainstream" spaces of university life: Bolonia new
degrees
• Spaces for the integration of peripheral knowledge
An example: shared spaces in the field
Agreements with partner institutions: ej UNICEF, IABS, ACCIONA
Identities
How to deal with different identities and interests (belonging to a node, to a cluster and to a network)?
Our experience at itdUPM
• Voluntary adhesion
• Some groups have a stronger feeling of identity
• Importance of brand image
• Be realistic: if someone is not willing to join,
he/she will not
• Be clear
An example
The network is open but rules are clear and have to be accomplished
Some challengues
• Network fatigue (management model)
• Hubs (knowledge integrators)
• Coherent growth (methodological and operational approach)
• Financial sustainability (business model)
• Equilibrium (demand driven – setting an own agenda)
“From Egosystems to Ecosystems”