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”

www.itd.upm.es

itd@upm.es

@itdupm

itdupm