Success factors of innovative networks
Thu 27 May 2010
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An initiator, contacts outside the organisation and an absolute minimum of consultations. That’s about all you need to solve hard-hitting organisation problems. Says Tjip de Jong in his thesis 'Linking social capital to knowledge productivity.'
In his PhD thesis Tjip de Jong says networks are the answer to solving a tough organization problem without getting caught up in the unintelligible mechanics of project management. But there are rules. You need an articulate initiator, contacts outside the organization, and consultation has to be kept to a minimum. These are a few of the critical success factors to an innovative network. Furthermore, an innovative network does not benefit from a facilitator to the extent previously thought.
Innovative projects
According to Tjip, who received his PhD from the University of Twente’s Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, networking promotes innovative projects within companies. A network consists of a group of people collaborating on a work-related problem for which there is no specific assignment. For example, a group of nurses, doctors and psychiatrists, who work together to find a solution to the problem of how to improve compulsory care. “A combination of personal drive and a sense of urgency is essential to tackling the problem,” he says.
Urgent question
The research involved studying 17 different networks over the period of a year, ranging from those dealing with problems in the construction industry to those establishing a new school community. The findings showed that in order for a network to succeed there has to be an urgent question and an initiator. Otherwise there is no drive to innovate and the network does not advance beyond the discussion stage. Tjip’s research demonstrates that innovative networks always have contacts outside the network.
Find out more via the University of Twente
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