Co-production Hubs

A co-production hub builds on the connectivity and alignment of people, but goes a step further by also fostering joint action by people or organizations. It does not exist solely to connect or align people around a general value proposition; it pursues a specialized outcome.

To be specialized a network must have high definition and consistent focus—and that requires network members to plan together and have clear agreements about who will do what. This is a significantly more difficult organizing task than developing connectivity and alignment. It involves coordinating the network.

Most social-change agents who build networks seek to build production networks, but they make seek to produce a wide range of outcomes. 

They want to create networks that, for instance, will:

1. generate certain goods and services, such as food and shelter for the homeless;

2. advocate for particular public policies, such as reproductive rights for women or environmental justice for poor neighborhoods;

3. innovate to solve social problems, such as immigrant poverty, the loss of family farms, and creation of affordable housing in “hot” real estate markets,

4. learn about and spread specific “best practices,” such as ways to design mass transit systems to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution;

5. mobilize citizens to participate in public and community affairs; or

6. build capacity of selected local leaders or organizations in declining communities.

Criteria for Membership

The more closed the network, the more attention is usually paid to criteria for membership. We draw on Heather Creech’s experience with several policy and knowledge creation networks of organizations to identify some of the main criteria you may want to use:

Shared commitment to network’s goals - All network members should be on the same page when it comes to the network’s purpose. “Fundamental conflict between missions works against the efficiency and effectiveness of the network,” Creech explains. “Partners need to understand the motivations of their colleagues for participating in the network.” A summary of research on networks concludes that members “must consider the priorities of the network their own. They must be motivated by self-interest because networking is a potential added-value to their daily work.”

Acknowledged expertise or competence in work of the co-creation hub - Networks often exist to assemble the capacities of members in new ways. Each member, says Creech,” has to have more than just an interest in the focus area of the network; it has to have real strength to do quality” work.

Connections that matter - Members should have linkages to other organizations or individuals that may be important for the network to influence or otherwise connect to. This means more than knowing others. The links, Creech says, should amount to “a proven capacity to influence” others.

Capacity to collaborate - Members should have evident willingness and, preferably, capacity and experience in working in networks. As part of the network they will have to be good communicators with other nodes. They will also have to be able to participate effectively in the network’s processes for “cross-fertilization” of ideas. Look for organizations, Creech suggests, that already have “an ease of working across internal boundaries and high concern for people,” because they will be able to adapt to others in the network. Other researchers say that network participants should be “open, willing and able to learn from each other.” Therefore, they “must have confidence in their work and ‘dare to share’ it with others.”

Being a good hub member - Members will have to give enough of their time and attention to the network’s activities; being in the network should be a priority for them. Otherwise, they are likely to do less and less of the network’s time-consuming tasks. The risk, says Creech, is that you will end up with “sporadic information sharing rather than real collaboration with partners.” Another risk is that a member will spend network funds on their own work, rather than the work of the network. Therefore, a member has to be willing and able to comply with the network’s financial management arrangements.

Source: Net Gains: A Handbook for Network Builders Seeking Social Change by Platrik and Taylor (2006) p.45-46