Introduction

The initial stimulus material for this section was generated through discussion facilitated by Deirdre Hughes between students on the Qualification in Careers Guidance (QCG) course at Magee College, University of Ulster.

‘It’s not what you know it’s who you know.’ For many the old adage rings true, but what is meant by the terms ‘networking’ and ‘partnership working’, how can individuals, or organisations, identify and join suitable networks, and whose interests might they serve? The development of Information, Advice and Guidance Partnerships in England has focused the minds of many on the significance of partnership working to move towards shared goals.

Student definitions of networking

Given below are some definitions of 'Networking' developed by QCG Students (2003) in Northern Ireland. It would be great if we could encourage others to add to and/or critique these ideas on networking generated by the QCG students.

Networking is:

• A process of interaction and communication with individuals, organizations or agencies, professional or otherwise that can share knowledge, expertise and resources in order to enhance the service provided.
• Coming together of people for common benefit to share knowledge, skills and expertise and investigate issues of common interest - continually growing and changing as different circumstances arise over time.
• A process of developing effective relationships to achieve common goals, through mutual understanding, flexible approach and client centredness.
• A process of various stages depending on the needs of the client utilizing the expertise of individuals and agencies.
• Establishing and developing relationships with individuals, organizations and agencies to receive, share, utilize information knowledge and experience for the good of others.

Research on networking

Other relevant research on networking includes the work of Bonnie Nardi and colleagues.
It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know: Work in the Information Age by Bonnie Nardi, Steve Whittaker, and Heinrich Schwarz, in First Monday, volume 5, number 5 (May 2000)

Abstract

‘We discuss our ethnographic research on personal social networks in the workplace, arguing that traditional institutional resources are being replaced by resources that workers mine from their own networks. Social networks are key sources of labor and information in a rapidly transforming economy characterized by less institutional stability and fewer reliable corporate resources. The personal social network is fast becoming the only sensible alternative to the traditional "org chart" for many everyday transactions in today's economy.’

Relevant Quotes

‘Under these conditions of rapid structural change, workers leverage their own personal networks, rather than relying on unstable, weakening "org charts." Workers are empowered only if they are successful at creating and maintaining personal social networks. The work of networking is a kind of "invisible work," not accounted for in workflow diagrams or performance evaluations. It is necessary background labor smart workers take on so they can do their jobs effectively (see Nardi and Engeström, 1999 and Nardi and O'Day, 1999 on invisible work).’

‘The idea of "networking" is, of course, not new. The term networking, as in cultivating useful others, has been in use since at least 1940 (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary). What is new, we will argue, is the intensity and absolute necessity of networking for practically everyone. We discuss how and why this happens.’

‘We chose the term intensional to reflect the effort and deliberateness with which people construct and manage personal networks. The spelling of the term is intended to suggest a kind of tension and stress in the network. We found that workers experience stresses such as remembering who is in the network, knowing what people in the network are currently doing and where they are located, making careful choices from among many media to communicate effectively with people, and being mindful to "keep in touch" with contacts who may prove useful in the near or distant future. At the same time, "intensional" also suggests a "tensile strength" in network activity; we found our informants endlessly resourceful and energetic in their everyday collaborative activities within their networks.’

‘NetWORK is our term for the work of establishing and managing personal relationships. These relationships can involve a rich variety of people including customers, clients, colleagues, vendors, outsourced service providers, venture capitalists, alliance partners in other companies, strategic peers, experts such as legal and human relations staff, and contractors, consultants, and temporary workers. These are fundamental business relationships in today's economy. As we have noted, studies that focus on narrowly scoped "teams" miss the vital work that goes into relationships that enmesh workers in a much wider, more complex social framework.’

‘In semi-structured interviews, we asked people about the work they did and how they communicated. We learned about their use of communication media including phone, cell phone, voice mail, conference calls, fax, Fed Ex, e-mail, e-mail attachments, videoconferencing, pagers, groupware, the Internet, FTP, the Web, chats, intranets, and extranets, as well as face to face. About 50 hours of interviews resulted in over 1,000 pages of transcripts which we analyzed for recurring patterns relating to the questions we asked about communication activities. In this paper, we quote extensively from the interviews. All names are pseudonyms and details have been changed to provide anonymity.’

‘When we listened to our informants talk, they mentioned friendships and bonding, which suggested something akin to strong ties. On the other hand, they also talked about such matters as the mechanics of refreshing lists, remembering their networks, and choosing their language carefully, suggesting a complex relationship to those they worked with that goes beyond notions of strong and weak ties. Bursts of intimacy could be followed by months of lack of communication, rendering networks highly dynamic.’

‘Although intensional networks are egocentric, portions of any individual network overlap with portions of others' networks, so they do not have the "one-off" character that the notion of an egocentric network might suggest. Within professions and activity systems, networks overlap, giving a sense of connection to workers even under the conditions of flux that characterize today's economy. Intensional networks are extended through the networks of others, as we saw with Jane recruiting partners through the networks of her colleagues. One of the most important resources we share with each other is access to those in our social networks.’

References

• Nardi, B., Whittaker, S. and Schwarz, H. (2000) 'It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know: Work in the Information Age', First Monday, volume 5, number 5 (May 2000).
• Nardi, B. and Engeström, Y. (1999) 'A Web on the Wind: The Structure of Invisible Work', in B. Nardi and Y. Engeström (guest editors). Computer Supported Cooperative Work, volume 8, numbers 1-2 (special issue).
• Nardi, B. and O'Day, V. (1999) Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.