Uniting Diverse Organizations by Saz-Carranza Angel;

Author:Saz-Carranza, Angel;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

Factors Helping Activation

What are the key factors that help networks attract and select members? The network’s legitimacy, relative to its impact, as well as to its procedural nature, helps to activate potential network members. As West Network’s former coordinator puts it: “The fact that we’ve been able to rack up all these different victories. People want to identify with that stuff. People want to be part of it.” East Network’s director similarly highlights the role of being perceived as a successful network in activating members: “People see us as people who can get things done, can pass laws, and can get funding, and help them do this, help them do that, and people want to join success- ful coalitions.” National Network’s coordinator explains why resource- limited organizations only join networks that help them reach their goals and be successful:

If you want to bullshit too much, it won’t work. Because it’s meaning- less, why are you going to come and waste two hours in a national conference call for nothing? Why are you going to be a member of a useless coalition that doesn’t have any impact in the political life and the lives of people out there in the streets? That’s the secret. The networks have to be immersed in the local political realities. Fight- ing along with the member organizations providing the support they need.

In fact, success builds trust, and trust is important for collaborative processes and is closely related to power and control (Vangen & Huxham, 2003). The members’ continual evaluations of the network build its legitimacy and mem- bers’ trust in it (Ring & Van de Ven, 1994). Hence success builds “past-based trust” (Vangen & Huxham, 2003) and builds the legitimacy of the network, enhancing the NAO’s capacity to activate important actors.3

Another factor that helps the attraction and retention of members is the network’s openness and inclusiveness. National Network’s inclusive struc- ture seems important in activating potential members: “One of the main things that binds us all together is that we really believe strongly in demo- cratic principles and initiatives that include workers in the decision-making processes,” notes its development coordinator. Having an open structure also helps East Network include members, as its director comments: “One thing about us is that it is very open, and we reward people who work hard, and who bring their community members, involvement into our work, so I think that’s the main part of it.” A similarly inclusive and open sentiment was shared by West Network, as its former coordinator explained: “We have some organizations that are small. Some are big... but they want to identify with this movement. Because this movement includes them.” Being a united but diverse network also legitimizes the network internally, versus its members, as a program officer at Midwest Network states:

We are asking the agencies to... come together and work together on the issues so we are more successful together on this than alone. So... then we should also incorporate that into our structure. Midwest Network should make decisions based on the whole.

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