9.4 Networked governance

09 Nation building and development

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Tjanpi Desert Weavers, Central Australia. Image, Wayne Quilliam

Definition: A net is an open fabric of string or rope or wire woven together at regular intervals. Like the string that is woven together to form a basket, a network weaves together different people, relationships, things and organisations. A network is a connected group of people with similar interests or concerns who get together to work and support each other.

9.4.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander networked governance

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance is networked governance. It is dynamic and sophisticated, having:

interdependent connections between people, places and things (past, present and future)
layered systems of representation and leadership
overlapping memberships and mandates
dense networks of relationships and mutual responsibility
corresponding dispersed layers of decision making, accountability and authority.

Networked structures not only form the bases of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance, they are also visible and inform many contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance solutions across Australia.

You can see networked Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance at work
in the structure and operation of:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander extended families and their linked households
Clan, native title and land-ownership groups
Skin and kinship groups
Ceremonial relationships and responsibilities
Trade, language and sacred-knowledge networks
Peer groups and hierarchies of leaders (both male and female)
The residents of interrelated outstations, urban neighbourhoods, rural fringe camps and pastoral stations
‘whole of community’ governing collaborations
Federations of dispersed communities
Regional assemblies
‘families’ of incorporated organisations
Organisational alliances, peak bodies and representative associations.

The more ‘visible’ leaders of organisations are also part of wider networks of leaders and extended families, often extending well beyond their own group.

In such governance systems, networked leaders are people who can consider multiple options and ideas, and who can facilitate connectivity and mobilise community support.

This is a more sustainable form of leadership for the kind of governance needed for development.

It is this kind of networked logic and leadership that are also likely to inform ongoing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives in nation rebuilding.

Girringun Aboriginal Corporation was awarded Highly Commended Category A in the 2014 Indigenous Governance Awards. In this video, CEO Phil Rist outlines how Girringun’s leadership fostered a common goal to bring 9 tribal groups together. By working together as ‘one voice’, and building relationships with surrounding stakeholders, Girringun established a form of contemporary sovereignty.

“We represent 9 tribal groups, over a pretty huge area in North Queensland. We’re not a land council or an Indigenous legal service, or a health service, we’re just a bunch of Traditional Owners that have managed to really come together as one community, one organisation and formed this very strong, effective, powerful Indigenous NGO at the grass-roots level … And not much happens in our area without us knowing about it because we have built this relationship with all those different partners, government and others, and they as well act as if sovereignty exists within our area.”
– Phil Rist, CEO

9.4.2 Why networks and networking are important

There is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander preference for local control of decision making, action and responsibility.

But at the same time, local networks are usually flexible and open-ended.

The very great advantage of such networks is that governance arrangements can be (and always have been) linked across to other similar scales of networks (such as across several outstations), and scaled up vertically (for example, to form larger federations and alliances).

This means that the local parts of any nation’s networked governance are directly connected to many other surrounding parts, and each part will have bridging relationships and shared goals that connect it outwards to the governance networks of other nations.

Networks and networking can improve your governance in many ways:

Networks can foster constructive solutions	They help you develop ideas—on the basis that two heads are better than one. They share knowledge and best practice.
Networks are flexible and responsive	They adapt how they work to suit the issue at hand or to accommodate future potential.
Networks create close relationships and ties, shared priorities and goals	They encourage better accountability to members of the network.
Networks can be a source of information and support	They facilitate sharing and discussion of issues of common interest, such as new laws and regulations, technological developments and best practices.
Decisions reached by networks can be more legitimate and easier to implement	They will represent a consensus of views of a broad group of people. They might take longer but are likely to be more sustainable and widely supported.
Networks can link the national and regional to the local level	They bring different players together—communities, regional and national agencies, governments and organisations. They are important for small remote groups and organisations.
Networks encourage the exchange of knowledge and build new skills	They can make new skills and resources more accessible—via outside experts, shared knowledge, staff exchanges and secondments, and mentoring.
Networks can benefit from economies of scale	They can share costs and scarce resources, assets and capacities. They facilitate wider agreements and partnership.
Networks improve your reputation	Locally, in other cities or even overseas.

9.4.3 Networked governance: problem signs and tips

To make sure your networks give you the best support for your governance, here are some potential problems to watch out for, and some tips for how to address them.

Network governance problem	Tips
Making decisions. Some networks aim to reach consensus decisions—that is, all parties agreeing. But sometimes a single party may disagree, stopping a decision being made or later undermining it.	Clearly identify how decisions are made when consensus cannot be reached. Encourage wide support for and the legitimacy of the decision-making process. Have rules for ‘majority consensus’ and confidentiality to improve implementation.
Becoming complacent. Networks can run the risk of becoming complacent, operating only in their comfort zone. They may also become bureaucratic and inflexible.	Make sure it is someone’s role in the network to seek new opportunities. Arrange informal social and cultural activities. Meet with other groups, communities and organisations to exchange contacts and ideas.
Accountability can become dispersed. Accountability may become more difficult to monitor in large networks because decisions are made at many different points. Large networks are also more likely to lose touch with outlying members.	Make sure that the roles and responsibilities of the different parts of your network are clearly defined and understood. Make sure that the accountability of network participants and processes is clear and agreed to by everyone.
Acquiring new skills. Setting up new partnerships may require entirely new skills and knowledge, or may come up against resistance from the existing network.	Do an internal audit to work out if you have the people with the right skills for the partnership activities. You may need to recruit or connect to people with new skills, contacts and relationships. Share knowledge and plans between existing members by regular open communication. Make partnerships with parties who have a good reputation for strong governance and creative solutions.
Becoming competitive. Networks between groups or organisations with similar functions, memberships and funding sources may become competitive rather than collaborative.	Build trust across your networks—for example, by sharing resources, or by making joint decisions on issues that concern you all. Encourage more open, accurate and easy exchange of information across the network.
Losing control. Leaders and managers risk losing control of their own agenda if key stakeholders in your network—government, non-government organisations or industry groups—have different ideas and priorities.	Analyse the different concerns and issues of each stakeholder and how they are influencing your governance processes and outcomes. Decide what parts of your agenda or goals are non-negotiable, and which you want to collaborate with others on.

9.4.4 Mapping and maintaining networks: practical tools

Building governance capacity—that of individuals, organisations or nations—is greatly strengthened when it includes long-term partnering and support from within your wider networks. So managing and maintaining relationships with your key stakeholders is very important.

Some of the relationships in your networks will be enduring and close (your members and partners); others are short term and issue specific (professional advisors, consultants, casual contractors, volunteers, bureaucrats).

Some relationships may be informal and based on common interests or simply a willingness to help; others will be formalised through written partnerships, contracts, grant conditions or agreements.

It is likely that in many of these, you will have governance relationships with people or organisations that have very different values to your own.

As a first step in successfully managing these, it is useful to identify or map your nation, community or organisation’s important networks and relationships.

A ‘map’ visually shows specific kinds of information by its spatial and geographic location and interrelation.

A map of your governance and development networks does the same thing. It will help you ‘locate’ and analyse:

your important networks for governance and development
where your networks are weak, and where are they strong
your high-influence network members
whether they are antagonistic, neutral or supportive
their concerns, values and priorities
whether they have a high or low impact on your plans and capacity
how you can build upon your networks and better manage key relationships.

The various templates below will help you map and monitor your important networks, and then consider how to manage and make the most of your relationship with them.

This governance environment monitor is from the governance development and action plan provided below and in Topic 9.
You can complete it by itself or as part of the larger work set out in that plan.

It will help you identify the important external stakeholders in your wider networks and environment, and trends and issues that are influencing or having an impact on your governance.

Resource-9.2-Template-Monitoring-our-governance-environment.docx

This resource is from the governance development and action plan provided in Topic 9.
You can complete it by itself or as part of the larger work set out in that plan.

Stakeholders are the people and groups that have an interest or ‘stake’ in the success and legitimacy of your governance and development outcomes.

TemplateOur-governance-stakeholder-influence-final.docx

This resource will help you to identify the influence, concerns and impact of the key stakeholders in your networks, and determine ways to better manage those factors.

Tool-Stakeholder-analysis_final.pdf

These are some general guidelines that your organisation, community or group can use when engaging external professional expertise.

Identify good experts. Check the professional websites of the people you want to engage so you can read and evaluate their code of conduct and ethics guidelines.
Use your existing networks and ask other communities to find out about people’s previous experience with the same professionals.
Above all, check references of the professionals you want to engage. Conduct a face-to-face interview where possible, and ask for samples of their previous work.
Choose someone who’s keen. Look for individuals who show a genuine interest in your organisation and community, who are committed to spending the time that you need on your projects, and who want a long-term relationship.
Engage people who have a proven track record in working on the issue, and in writing reports in a style that is easily accessible to your members.
Balance cost with efficiency. Remember that university academics—whose overheads are normally covered by their institutions—usually cost much less than consultants, but a consultant may work more quickly and efficiently.
Establish effective contracts or other forms of agreements. These may vary according to whether the work is voluntary or paid. You may have to call for competitive bids; however, you may get better value by engaging someone who costs more but has experience and expertise in dealing with a particular issue, or has worked with the community for a long time.
If possible, start with a small contract or project as a test run, with the understanding that good work and relationships will lead to larger projects or assignments.
Develop clear terms of reference in the contract right from the start, including specific deliverables, methodologies and timelines.
Keep the contractor fully informed. Give the expert the protocols that will be used when consulting with members or stakeholders, and your organisation’s policies and codes of conduct.
Get agreement on the content of reports. When a written report is required, ensure that the contract or agreement states that the expert should discuss the contents with management before writing the report.
Ensure that the costs of the work meet industry standards. Competitive bids may help but it is also wise to check daily rates and the time estimated for each task.
Check who is doing the work—senior or junior experts. Clarify in the contract the time allocated for the senior and junior experts. Also clarify how much they will contribute to training and mentoring people within your organisation or community.
State a maximum cost for the work. If there are extensions or additions to the work, make sure these are confirmed in writing and that a new cost is firmly established.
Make someone in your organisation responsible. Allocate a specific person in your organisation or group to monitor the contract or agreement.
Conduct a face-to-face exit interview. As well as a written report, it can be helpful to have a face-to-face exit interview with key leaders, management and the expert to discuss their findings.
Get feedback from the expert. When the work is finished, get feedback from the expert about the whole process and, if applicable, how they think it could have been improved. Also get feedback from the members of your organisation or community who were involved.

Adapted from Graham, J and Bassett, M. 2005. Building Sustainable Communities: Good Practices and Tools for Community Economic Development, Institute on Governance, Canada.

This tool is from the governance development and action plan in Topic 9.
You can complete it by itself or as part of the larger work set out in that plan.

It will help you to identify important similarities and differences in the cultures of your key network members, partners and other stakeholders that might affect your governance.

Our-culture-scan_final.docx

Here are some basic questions and suggestions about ways other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and organisations have successfully tried to expand their networks.

What-can-we-do-Networking_FINAL.pdf

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