Oups, and now practice!

The learning trajectory “Working by Networks” with the Green Agenda of the Province of South Holland is now 4 months underway. The spirit amongst the 14 officers is great: there is willingness to seek and learn together from each other’s experiences , they are mutually interested and there is joy. In the networks where they are active movement can be registered. I facilitate this network jointly with Rosa Lucassen (www.burosa.nl): we are a perfect team.

 

This  is a learning trajectory as I like to see it. The Water and Green Department of the Province has selected 10 pilot projects in which the Province no longer wants to be the “cashpoint at the Malieveld (a famous open field in the Hague, next to the office building, where many manifestations and other mass gatherings are being held). Instead, the Provincial administration wants to develop new solutions for issues of common interest together with stakeholders in society. 

 

Oups, and now practice!

The learning trajectory “Working by Networks” with the Green Agenda of the Province of South Holland is now 4 months underway. The spirit amongst the 14 officers is great: there is willingness to seek and learn together from each other’s experiences , they are mutually interested and there is joy. In the networks where they are active movement can be registered. I facilitate this network jointly with Rosa Lucassen (www.burosa.nl): we are a perfect team.

 

This  is a learning trajectory as I like to see it. The Water and Green Department of the Province has selected 10 pilot projects in which the Province no longer wants to be the “cashpoint at the Malieveld (a famous open field in the Hague, next to the office building, where many manifestations and other mass gatherings are being held). Instead, the Provincial administration wants to develop new solutions for issues of common interest together with stakeholders in society. Each project has a project leader who is responsible for the contribution from the Provincial government. He/she is assited by a facilitator as sparring partner. The facilitator of one project can be project leader in another. There are mutual coaching sessions and ‘triangle meetings’ which include the superior of the project manager. Each member of the learning team is expected to keep a personal record of his/her learning path.

 

After an introductory session in March a workshop of 24 hours followed in a location in Hoek van Holland (away from the office). This was an intensive acquaintance with each other and with the tools of the FAN approach. A ’24 hours workshop’ means being together from noon to noon, with a lot of working sessions, informal time, extraordinary catering by the “Historical Kitchen” (www.dehistorischekeuken.nl), and of course also time to sleep.

 

On June 26 the first out of 5 “progress days” took place in The Hague. A participant who worked with the Time Line Method more often guided the team in making a Time Line of the learning trajectory until date. The idea is that the participants will apply the method in their own network with stakeholders. This can help to bring focus in the process. Actors who usually are focussed on the contents are stimulated to look at their own process, which often brings them to take more responsibility over the process.

 

During the progress day there was much attention for the progress in the projects. The team members had used the models during their coach discussions, but the interpretation of their real life situations was not always that easy. Or, as someone summarised it: “Oups, now the practice!”.

Applying the instruments helps to express in words what matters. The insights that really make a difference are at one level deeper. Those involve for example having the courage to come up for an ambition you really feel connected to. And then, the attitude it takes to reach the level of co-creation. This could mean that you step out of a battle of competences and start looking for complementarity. Or that you make sure that others take you seriously and keep account with the balance of give and take as it is important for you.

 

The progress days will continue after summer with a frequency of six weeks. Furthermore there will be a meeting with the management team of the department. Then, questions will be discussed such as: what kind of results can be expected, and how can they be made visible? How does this network approach relate to other participatory efforts that have been tried before? What mandate does a project leader need? And how can you correct a process if it seems to go out of control? How should the organisation be organised to increase the probability of success in this kind of network projects?

With four more of such days to go this looks like one of the nicest activities to which I have been called to contribute.