1 – Summary
On the next pages, I will show the main strategy of establishing positive and cooperative relationship with the communities where it has educational institutions will be presented on the following pages Our main goal in adopting this strategy is to contribute to the sustainable development of the communities therefore I will also present the concept of development we have been working with, as well as a quick introduction of our institution, the main results achieved last year and the main difficulties we are presently facing.
2- Local Development
When we speak of local development we refer, essentially, to a better life and a better social living. We use the term “local” to indicate that the developmental process begins at a local geographic region where the conditions and the different variables (social, political, economical, environmental, cultural, etc.) allow a common identity.
We consider that the term “development” needs no complement since:
a) The development is always local, considering that there are no identical places in the world, which means each place requires its own strategy.
b) The development is always social, once its results must always benefit and positively impact the people living in such place, that is the local society (development here is not supposed to benefit machinery, systems, organizations, etc, although they might also benefit from the development results)
c) There is no need to talk about “economic development” considering that economy is part of the social system and it only exists because people exist. The economic dimension must be one of the variables to be considered in a developmental process.
d) The development must always be integrated, since it requires the participation of the entire society which includes a variety of players: civil society, government, companies, institutions, people, professionals, researchers, etc.
e) In order to be considered true development, it must be sustainable, or rather to change according to the circumstances, keeping its main characteristics as well as the aspects that make its adaptation possible (in simple words, a developmental process must preserve the natural environment, be it natural or built by human beings)
It is important to stand out that we distinguish “development” from “growth”. I’ve already approached the idea of development above; as for growth, we understand it as the name given to the process of strictly economical expansion, usually expressed by economical indexes such as the GIP.
To complement our concept of development, as well as justify the strategy we have adopted for the development of communities, we distinguish some variables included in the “development equation”.
Basically, these variables are split in two big groups
a) Economic Variables: traditionally important factors in the view of economists and policy makers in order to achieve development, such as: income, wealth, investments, money and property capital.
b) Non-economic variables: all other variables traditionally not considered (by the same actors) as being relevant for the development but that gain more and more importance, such as:
· Natural Capital: The set of natural or physical-territorial resources present in a local area, that might be used to leverage development processes. Examples: water, air, mineral resources, cultural characteristics, historical buildings, architectural styles, etc.
· Human Capital: Relates to the living conditions of a community, such as health, education, security, transportation, food, entrepreneurial capacity and technological knowledge.
· Social Capital: Regards the act of living in society, how people balance and solve conflicts, their capacity of group undertaking and the level of cooperation (or adversity) that exists in a community. The social capital can be considered the social “environment” wherein development processes can be induced.
3 - Social Network
To promote and mediate social networks is our preferential action to induce local development processes, since it translates into the investment in social capital and in the creation of cooperative social environments that sustain development.
3.1 – Concept
Our concept of social network is: “A system capable of gathering and organizing people and institutions in an equal and democratic way, in order to build new commitments around common interests and to strengthen social players for the defense of their causes, for the implementation of their projects and for the promotion of their communities”.
The word “system” means a set of procedures and values that lead to actions, define strategies and establishes the modus operandi.
About the terms “equal and democratic” see the topic below.
“Building new commitments” means to develop group actions that did not happen before the union of the network players.
“Common interests”, because it is essential to have something that bonds people, whether it is very broad or very specific. For example, something very broad can be the well being of a community and something very specific can be the development of a congress.
“Strengthening the social players for the defense of their causes and for the implementation of their projects”, refers to the meaning of usefulness as well as the bilateral satisfaction that ought to be present in a network.
3.2 – Methodology to foment social networks
Through direct observation of how groups organized themselves and the necessary steps for the creation of a social network we became able to formulate this methodology.
· Meeting
A moment of group meeting in order to deal with common issues and deliberate about actions.
The meeting of all network members must occur throughout the entire network existence. It can be continuous or intermittent. Partial meetings can also happen, either to deal with specific issues of some people belonging to the group or to deal with topics that have been deliberated by the whole group but will be executed or studied by some of its members.
· Identification
It takes place all along the existence of the network, but it is essential that it happens in a systematic way in the beginning. It represents the moments in which each member of the group cal tell and show who they are, what they do, what they are looking for, what are their strengths and weaknesses, their worries and needs, etc.
· Proposals
These are the moments when each member of the network can propose actions to the other members. It contributes to the identification process since, whenever presenting a proposal, a member shows their vision of the world, goals, philosophy, ideology and way of thinking. It is the dialogue moment between members where proposals are discussed and counter-proposals are introduced.
Some groups start with an initial proposal that justifies and mobilizes the gathering of the group. However, the positive response from the group depends on the satisfaction of the majority, regarding the previous steps.
· Composition
This is the most delicate moment in the existence of of a network and it demands high attention from the mediator. That is when partnerships are made and commitments are taken. The meaning of creating a network comes out whenever compositions are established and resources (of all kind) are mobilized.
· New Commitment
It is the formalization of what was settled in the previous step. The new commitment among network members is what effectively points to the results the network is achieving.
· Action
It is the realization of the new commitment made by the group, when the group will carry out the action. The existence of a concrete action, according to the concept we have been working with, is one of the aspects that helps to distinguish the different types of network. For example, we can discuss, suggest, compose and assume new commitments regarding the development of a place but if we do not translate it into concrete actions, we never leave the theoretical level.
3.3 – Definition of social network
Establishing a definition was a necessary step to differentiate the network we are talking about from other compositions that call themselves networks. It can be understood as a complement of the concept but it mainly refers to its structure and operation.
Thus, we have established the following definition: “Structured set of people or organizations intentionally organized, with motivated interactivity and shared leadership, willing to achieve common goals or to perform common actions through specific planned strategies.” By “Structured” we mean the existence of an internal organization (command, roles, positions), the relationship of each part with the whole and of the parts among themselves. It is used to differentiate it from the meaning attributed to the network whenever it is used to refer to personal relations (for example: the network of personal relations)
“Intentionally organized” shows that the network was organized to achieve a specific target, which is stressed by the use of the expression “specific planned strategies.”
“Motivated interactivity” brings up the idea that the relationship among the network members is constantly stimulated. The adjective makes a difference when the term network is used to refer to a set of elements displayed in a bureaucratic way (for instance, the Public Schools Network)
3.4 – Leadership
We understand that the intentionally built networks need leadership and, in that context, it is important to check the kind of leadership.
At first, it is important to see that leadership is not only about “commanding” or “leading the way”. Such understanding about leadership is very typical of pyramid organizations and do not belong in a network. In our view the leadership in a network must be exercised in accordance with competence and circumstance.
Leadership in a network is more about organizing and motivating.
As for the network, we have used the word “mediate” to design leadership. The mediator’s role has been performed to help the group achieving the desired goals. The mediator contributes for the group understanding of connections between the ideas and proposals that are being discussed, criticizes the group and, above all, motivates the group in times of distress. Moreover, the mediator must also be an element that makes sure that the principles of the network are maintained. The mediator’s primary role is to make the group develop and get stronger, and good denominations can also be facilitator or moderator.
The mediator’s role has been played by Senac’s employees in the networks.
3.5 – Principles
For the thorough operation of a network, considering the social complexity we live in, we believe that 4 principles are essential: Democracy, Equality, Horizontal level and Diversity. Below, we expose brief comments on each principle.
· Democracy
A network only becomes possible in a democratic system that allows full participation of people. We do not refer to democracy as the will of the majority but as people’s full participation in decisions and debates and as respect to the diversity present in the group. In networks we helped to foment, thanks to the number of participants, we try to avoid that the group uses votes to decide debating issues. This is because votes always carry two inseparable consequences: a winner and a loser and the second will always try to reverse their position. We have adopted, by principle and practice, the use of consensus. That does not mean that the entire group will have to reach the same conclusion or have the same opinion about a specific topic, but it is possible, thanks to dialogue (that is, active listening), to reach acceptable terms.
· Equality
It means that people and their opinions have the same value. It is important to stand out that we speak of equality inside diversity, taking into account personal abilities. That doesn’t mean that people should be alike or be equal, on the contrary, they must keep their identity (personalization must be respected).
· Horizontal Level
By principle, a network must be horizontal. Being vertical (pyramid) is its opposite. This value helps the group achieving a sense of responsibility for their acts, since there is no division in two groups: those who command and those who obey.
· Diversity
It comprehends accepting and living with extremes. If all other principles are guaranteed it becomes easier to achieve the acceptance of diversity. Diversity is so important in a network that it makes it more productive and leads it to actions that are in accordance with reality. Its existence in a group is made possible through a bonding element, like the fact of belonging to the same community. Political, ideological or religious differences will not matter, since the connection motive is stronger than those.
3.6 - Working Method and Composition
The way to conceive this kind of social network is based, aside the aspects mentioned above, in some parameters that change from group to group.
The meetings usually take place with the presence of people, once a month. We name them forums, because they are moments of debate and deliberation.
Whenever a given subject or project connects (or interests) 2 or more elements of a network and not the whole network, we stimulate the creation of sub-groups that, in a different time, will discuss and deliberate on that subject. The results obtained in such sub-groups (named committees) are taken to the forums to be shared with the others and not necessarily for approval. This is done because the subject under discussion may be of interest only to the sub-group.
There are other committees that are created by the deliberation of the forum, of interest for the whole network. In this case, a committee may also be created, but, differently from the previous case, the result of this sub-group is taken to the forum for approval (for example, a committee that will discuss about the ways to communicate the work of the network).
With such flow, a network may have as many projects and committees as it can hold. We avoid the strategy of creating committees to encompass all members of a network. If any member does not wish or is unable to take part in a committee, there is no problem concerning their permanence in the network.
The social network is an open organism. Conceptually, its composition may consist of people or of organizations, and, in our work, we have considered persons as representatives of organizations. Fundamentally, we have focused on and encouraged the participation of non-profit organizations, but, being an open organism, governmental and private sector organizations are also welcome. The term “organization” is not restricted to its formal meaning (legal specific condition), but mainly to its functional aspects. Therefore, a group of people that acts, for example, in the maintenance of a park, may participate in the social network through a representative.
The notion of open organism also applies to participation, which is another fundamental aspect of the working methodology: the participation is free. Thus, a member is not obliged to participate against their will, but must do so, as long as their participation brings benefits for the organization.
4 - Main challenges
1 Culture of Assistance: The expectation of receiving benefits and not of being active participants in the development
2 “Pyramidal” Culture: most people act vertically, expecting directions to follow. Networks presuppose initiative, responsibility plus a culture of cooperation and not competition
3 Emphasis on deficit: participants tend to point to the weaknesses of their communities, neglecting the strengths that must be taken profit of.
5 - Results
Considering all that was mentioned above, the synthesis of 11 years of social network building, it is necessary to point out some of the results that can be expressed through a few numbers and perceptions:
The numbers:
1 There are currently 34 social networks, organized according to this methodology, in 28 different locations.
2 Today, 847 organizations actively compose this net of 34 social networks.
3 The eldest network is 7 years old and the youngest is two months old.
4 More than 2500 organizations, at some point and for some time, have participated in this movement.
5 Since the beginning of the program, more than 700 projects were implemented.
The perceptions:
Some aspects, whose financial value wasn’t yet possible to calculate:
1 Significant increase in the motivation of social actors when they realize they are not alone.
2 Entire groups who switched the perception "we are very needy" to the perception "we can!".
3 Strengthening of the bonds and trustworthiness among participants
6 - Conclusion
The strategy of fomenting and articulating social networks that has been described above, has made possible the strengthening of communities where Senac São Paulo acts, works, mainly for being a strategy of relationship and not of imposition of ideas or concepts; a strategy based on dialogue and cooperation.
Note
The ideas exposed in this text come from the theoretical and practical experience of the author and are supported by scholars such as:
Augusto de Franco (Brazil), Humberto Maturana (Chile), Robert Putnann (USA), Aléxis de Tocqueville (France), Janes Jacobs (USA), Manuel Castells (Spain), among others.
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