Performance Improvement and Assessment of Collaboration: Starting points for networks and communities of practice

The document argues that collaboration and knowledge sharing are essential for sustainable development and proposes a shift from focusing on institutional partnerships to fostering networks of individual experts. It defines three types of collaboration: networked governance, inter-organizational relationships (IORs), and inter-individual collaborative relationships (ICRs). For ICRs, the authors suggest assessing performance through four key lenses: focus and extensiveness, structural evolution, social capital, and value creation (divided into applied and realized value). The report also suggests various diagnostic tools for these assessments, including Social Network Analysis and the Cynefin Framework.

• The authors identify three primary modalities of collaboration: 'networked governance' (horizontal decision-making), 'partnerships' or 'alliances' (inter-organizational relationships driven by shared institutional objectives), and collaborations of individuals (such as CoPs and knowledge networks) seeking support for purposeful action.
• There is an observed shift in the sustainable development community away from formal inter-organizational relationships (IORs) toward networks of individual experts, driven by the availability of online collaboration tools, the time-consuming complexity of securing institutional agreements, and the realization that IORs are not always necessary for knowledge exchange.
• Communities of Practice (CoPs) are defined as voluntary groups of people who share a concern or passion for a topic and deepen their expertise through ongoing interaction; they are often used interchangeably with 'knowledge networks' in international development contexts, such as within the UNDP.
• Performance assessment for individual networks should focus on four areas: the focus (narrow or broad) and extensiveness (scope across institutions/sectors), the evolution of the network's structure over time, the level of social capital (trust and shared values), and the creation of value.
• The report distinguishes between two types of value creation in networks: 'applied value,' which is the extent to which learning is used by the individual member, and 'realized value,' which is the impact made on the member's organization or the broader challenges the network addressed.
• The authors suggest several tools for network assessment, including the Cynefin Framework for exploring complex challenges, Social Network Analysis (SNA) for visualizing relationship patterns, and the Asian Development Bank's eight performance areas (Domain, Membership, Norms and rules, Structure and process, Flow of energy, Results, Resources, and Values).

APA

Creech, H., Laurie, M., Paas, L., & Parry, J.-E. (2012). Performance Improvement and Assessment of Collaboration: Starting points for networks and communities of practice. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/performance_improvement_networks.pdf

Chicago

Creech, Heather, Michelle Laurie, Leslie Paas, and Jo-Ellen Parry. Performance Improvement and Assessment of Collaboration: Starting points for networks and communities of practice. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/performance_improvement_networks.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Creech |first1=Heather |last2=Laurie |first2=Michelle |last3=Paas |first3=Leslie |last4=Parry |first4=Jo-Ellen |title=Performance Improvement and Assessment of Collaboration: Starting points for networks and communities of practice |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/performance_improvement_networks.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{creech2012performance, author = {Creech, Heather and Laurie, Michelle and Paas, Leslie and Parry, Jo-Ellen}, title = {{Performance Improvement and Assessment of Collaboration: Starting points for networks and communities of practice}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/performance_improvement_networks.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }