Characteristics

A learning network can be a highly effective learning tool for development donors and practitioners. Learning networks are part think tank, part training group, and part support network to the practitioners and organizations who take part in them. Donor-enabled, collaborative learning networks provide an unusual opportunity for donors to engage with a range of implementing partners around learning, knowledge production, and knowledge sharing. To determine whether a learning network is an appropriate tool for you, refer to the “About Learning Networks” section in this Center. 

Although there is no one correct way to design a learning network, there are a number of good learning network examples from which to draw experience and guidance. Below are some possible considerations to keep in mind, with illustrative examples from the GROOVE Learning Network that was managed by the Knowledge-Driven Microenterprise Development (KDMD) project.

Designing the Learning Network Model

The KDMD project did an extensive review of past learning networks to develop the model that was eventually adopted for the GROOVE Learning Network. KDMD’s early learning network model was envisioned to have three main stages: Planning, Implementation/Generation, and Capture/Sharing.

After the initial review process, USAID’s Office of Microenterprise Development (MD) and KDMD continued to refine this initial learning network model through regular coordination meetings. Throughout the life of the GROOVE Learning Network, the model was also refined to focus on three interconnected levels of engagement and learning:

• Organizational: Learning and engagement focused on each member organization’s internal learning agenda, but with input from network members
• Network: Collaboration between learning network members who use their combined expertise and resources to contribute to organizational learning, as well as to a collective network-level learning agenda
• Industry: A focus on broader industry learning that shares the cumulative learning of the network to fill existing gaps

Selecting Members through Competitive Grants

USAID's Office of Microenterprise Development (MD) incorporated many key findings from their past experiences with learning networks in the Request for Application (RFA) for the GROOVE Learning Network that was issued in 2009. The requirements of the RFA were broad, but included specific objectives:

• Demonstrate advantages of the value chain approach to achieve sustained economic benefits for poor households.
• Identify and build champions within the NGO/PVO community to expand the application of and catalyze learning about the value chain approach and its potential benefits for poor households.
• Foster partnerships with implementing partners that demonstrate the interest and capacity to learn from and contribute to USAID/MD’s growing knowledge of and experience with value chain development.
• Promote innovation, learning, and organizational change within partner institutions that are driven by a common vision for success, lessons learned in the field, and evidence-based decision-making.

Past experience had shown that careful grantee selection was crucial to the network’s success. Grantees were carefully screened in regards to their anticipated commitment to participate in the learning network, as many interested applicants were direct competitors. Finally, while reviewing RFA applications, USAID/MD assessed the potential complementarity and synergy between grantees to create a network where sharing and learning was possible.

In an effort to reduce the burden of application, the RFA allowed for submissions of Expressions of Interest (EOI) as opposed to a full proposal. Out of the numerous (almost 100) EOIs received, USAID/MD shortlisted only a few to which they provided feedback. Out of these shortlisted candidates, four were selected to receive funding. 

Outlining Requirements for Participation

In addition to the items outlined above, the GROOVE Learning Network RFA also included specific requirements to encourage organizational investment and participation. As part of their EOI, organizations were required to specify two individuals who would be designated to consistently participate in the learning network to build trust and rapport between the members. Although many learning network activities were decided on by the members once the grant began, some activities were specifically outlined in the RFA. These included: 1) participation in three, in-person meetings (kick-off, mid-term, and final) throughout the course of the 3-year grant and 2) the generation of network knowledge products. Finally, the RFA required that interested organizations provided a minimum amount of cost share to contribute to USAID's investment and, perhaps more importantly, to encourage organizational buy-in and support.

Choosing a Learning Network Facilitator

Selecting a facilitator for the learning network is a crucial part of the design and start-up process. A scope of work (SOW) for the facilitator should be drafted and should accurately reflect the responsibilities as well as the estimated amount of time required from the facilitator.

KDMD found, through its experience with the microRisk Alliance (MRA) Learning Network, that it was more important for a facilitator to have knowledge of facilitation skills rather than the learning network’s technical focus. This allowed a facilitator to fully focus on facilitating the learning within the network and helped to clarify the role of the facilitator for participating members. Technical support to the GROOVE Learning Network was provided by network members as well as industry experts, who were brought in at designated times to speak on topics of interest to members. Separating out these two requirements can also speed up the search for a facilitator, since it can be difficult to find one person with both subject matter experience and facilitation skills.

Involving Donors

KDMD discovered, through its experience with the Poverty and Conflict, MRA, and GROOVE learning networks, that it is crucial to have donor involvement and buy-in from the beginning. Donor involvement can help ensure that a learning network meets expectations and that it is designed to deliver outputs that will add value to the technical sector and community. 

Having a donor representative who actively participates in the learning network from the beginning can help to keep members engaged, committed, and motivated. Throughout the GROOVE Learning Network, the USAID/MD office played an integral role in the design, launch, and implementation of the network. This type of involvement was somewhat unusual for USAID (and network members) and required discussions to clearly define expectations and boundaries between learning network members and USAID. Finding the balance between providing input and listening to members was an ongoing process throughout the learning network grant. However, by trusting the learning network process and the members, USAID/MD was able to find that balance and, as a result, capitalize on learning.

Characteristics

Once grants are awarded to learning network members, activities can officially begin. Although there is not one official list of activities that must happen during this phase, scheduling certain activities and events can help to set the learning network up for success in later phases. 

During the launch phase, it is important to properly set the stage so that network members can begin to build relationships with one another and view themselves as part of a larger network of individuals working towards a common goal. In the beginning, time should be spent allowing network members to get to know one another, with a focus on sharing information about member programs and activities in relation to their learning network grant. An in-person kick-off meeting is a great way to bring all members together so that they can discuss desired outcomes from network participation and begin drafting a joint learning agenda and work plans for the first year. Since most network activities will be virtual over the next few years, having an in-person event in the beginning is important to building a strong foundation.

Illustrative Orientation Activities

Some examples of activities that can occur during this phase are outlined below with examples from the GROOVE Learning Network.

Webinar: In addition to the benefit that webinars are generally easier to put together than an in-person meeting, a webinar can provide participants with basic familiarity with each members’ objectives and start to build rapport. Grants for the GROOVE Learning Network formally began on July 1, 2009. In late July, a webinar was held with all network members to provide an opportunity to share elements of each organization’s program, particularly their work with value chains and their expected outcomes from the learning network. 

Kick-off Meeting: As mentioned above, an in-person meeting at the beginning of the learning network’s life cycle is invaluable to building a strong foundation. The objectives of the GROOVE Learning Network 3-day kick-off meeting were to:

1. Build a stronger sense of the learning network
2. Gain an understanding of the challenges each grantee faced in their projects and provide peer support
3. Review and agree on common learning questions for the learning network
4. Develop a draft learning agenda/framework and an implementation work plan

To view the agenda, and other documents from the GROOVE kick-off meeting, visit the "Resources" section on the right side of this page.

Another important component of a kick-off meeting is determining how members prefer to communicate with each other over the course of the grant. Since members are often based in different locations, in-person meetings are not always possible, and time zones can pose challenges to real-time discussion. Key questions that GROOVE members asked to establish norms around communication included:

• How often do we see ourselves engaging?
• How will we use technology to communicate?
• What is the role of the learning network facilitator and USAID?
• What are our expectations for our monthly meetings?
• How will we document learning and share out our learning to USAID and others in the network?
• What are the rules for sharing and disseminating information both within the network and externally?

Peer Assists: A peer assist is a collective discussion among group members designed to promote knowledge sharing and participatory learning. During the GROOVE kick-off meeting, a peer assist was held for each partner to help identify issues and desired outcomes from the learning network by discussing 1) What three aspects of the project will be the most difficult to achieve? and 2) What three questions around these areas could be addressed with peers?

While GROOVE members found the peer assist process to be very useful, suggestions for improvement included providing more time for preparation and incorporating the input of “experts” into the process.

Learning Agenda Development: Developing a learning agenda forces members to identify specific questions to explore and areas of focus. GROOVE members brainstormed possible learning questions to address during the course of the network and decided on themes by discussing a few key questions:

• Will these questions help to advance my organization's learning?
• Do these questions match primary knowledge gaps in the industry?
• Are these questions realistic and attainable for this network to address?

Based on the group discussion, two areas of interest were identified:

1. The need to improve monitoring and evaluation systems as they relate to value chain development
2. The importance of building staff capacity to implement value chain programs

Workplanning: Learning networks should include formal workplans to help members operationalize their learning agenda. GROOVE members developed draft workplans (see an example of a work plan here) for their organizations prior to the kick-off meeting but were then expected to incorporate information from the meeting and finalize those plans two weeks after the meeting.

Characteristics

After the network launch phase, learning networks initially tend to focus on the interests of individual organizational members in the network. These interests can be different for each organization, but ultimately should tie back to the overarching objectives for the learning network. During this third phase, network activities primarily focus on supporting the projects being implemented by network members in their own organizations and usually include presentations on project progress, peer assists, and technical support from network members and industry experts. Learning journals (see more below) are one way to document the experiences of network members and can be a valuable resource from which to pull issues and questions for discussion with the entire group.

This phase provides important opportunities to build trust within the group which becomes increasingly important over the life of the learning network. To foster this trust, network activities should encourage collaboration, sharing, and engagement to ensure collective awareness of the interests, expertise, and progress of each member. This phase should also build upon the “Network Launch” activities to continue the development of a shared group learning agenda as members begin to better understand each other’s organizational contexts, common issues, and industry gaps.

Illustrative Organizational Learning Activities

There is a wide variety of activities that can be undertaken during this phase. Listed below are some possible activities with examples from the GROOVE Learning Network.

Regular Meetings: In the early months following the GROOVE kick-off meeting, regularly scheduled online meetings provided the opportunity for network members to connect. During these meetings—often held online through Adobe Connect—members shared relevant activities and communicated important updates for the learning network.

During each meeting, network members shared out any program activities that had been implemented since the last meeting. Over time, these report-outs evolved into more structured sessions that focused on sharing progress, successes, challenges, and lessons learned. These more structured sessions helped network members better understand the progress and issues of each organization over time related to their goals of their grant.

Technical Support: Regular infusion of technical knowledge is a core feature of learning networks. This knowledge can be generated either within the network itself or from outside the network, such as individual experts and outside organizations. 

Within the network, knowledge can be generated through polling, member presentations, and formal peer assists. GROOVE members were regularly polled during monthly meetings to identify areas of interest. In many cases, these topics would include questions about other network members’ models and approaches. Member presentations often facilitated important discussions that enabled network members to observe similarities in experiences and challenges among their varied projects. In addition, GROOVE members participated in a number of formalized peer assists to gather feedback on specific issues or questions throughout the life of the network.

Outside of the network, learning network members can tap many valuable sources of industry expertise that can shed light on their specific learning topics as well as offer guidance and skills useful to all members. In one case, staff from Save the Children talked with GROOVE members about a Bolivia case study that outlined changes in strategy and activities as their work moved from a traditional delivery of services model to a value chain facilitation approach. Other sessions focused on practical guidance for webinar production and a short overview of SDC Asia’s experience building capacity for project staff and local partners. The GROOVE Learning Network also developed an “Ask the Expert” (later changed to “Ask the Colleague”) activity to answer technical questions posed by network members. Questions were generated by network members and then discussed with leading experts in the industry. In one Ask the Expert session, GROOVE members talked with experts about the United Nations model for communities of practice. In another, they discussed market facilitation with a leading expert in the field.

Learning Journals: This self-directed activity provides an opportunity for members to reflect on their work, learn about others’ experiences, and raise questions for discussion. They are also a valuable tool for facilitators, who can highlight common themes or emerging synergies to stimulate conversation among the group. GROOVE members decided to draft and share quarterly learning journals. Generally speaking, they were seen as a useful tool and a powerful record of the steps, ongoing challenges, and interim intentions of each of the network members. USAID activity managers were also given the opportunity to read the journals and suggest topics for further discussion.

Characteristics

As network members continue to implement their own projects, supported by the learning network grant, new learning often surfaces that other network members find relevant to their work. Through regular check-in meetings, offline discussions, and ongoing network activities, this knowledge can be shared and discussed within the group. In this way, other members often identify effective and replicable models or approaches to apply to their own work.

Familiarity with the work of other network members, combined with depth of engagement early in the learning network’s life cycle, is essential to allow honest conversations to occur during this phase. These conversations might include suggestions for different approaches to existing issues or new interventions to try. Generally speaking, interaction among network members during this phase becomes broader, both in terms of the ways that members interact and in the ways that they contribute to the projects of other members. Recognizing and taking specific steps to accommodate this transition can help lay the foundation for further collaboration during the next phase.

Activities from previous phases (e.g., regular meetings, peer assists, technical support) should continue during this phase. However, these activities often begin to evolve as the ties within the network strengthen. 

Illustrative Activities to Support Group Learning

Below are some possible activities that can occur in this phase, with examples from the GROOVE Learning Network.

Offline Peer Support: As the learning network regularizes its engagement, members may feel the need to communicate more frequently outside regular check-in meetings. Based on lessons learned from GROOVE, these member-to-member email exchanges and phone calls were not only valuable to those engaged, but also to the group as whole, since these exchanges were often integrated into regular group meetings. An important element of this phase is the opportunity for network members to test possibilities and identify places to borrow new ideas and approaches. For example, during this phase in the GROOVE Learning Network, CARE shared its draft monitoring and evaluation (M&E) guide with other members in the network for feedback. This action proved to be significant in the development of the network-wide learning agenda as members continued to focus on common interests related to M&E.

GROOVE engaged in significantly more offline interactions with one another as the learning network moved into the second and third quarters of 2010. These were reported in their quarterly learning journals and semi-annual workplans. Conversations between members varied, including discussions about how to gain senior leadership buy-in, learning more about causal analysis methods, and brainstorming local learning exchanges. 

Facilitation Support: As collaboration within the GROOVE network intensified, the role of the facilitator shifted from a supporter to a connector. Through a combination of activities, including the learning journals, brown-bags, peer assists, and other activities, the facilitator often initiated discussions focused on the commonalities between the members and encouraged increased collaboration. By nurturing the growth of network relationships and facilitating collaboration between members, the learning network effectively operated at the individual member-level and, perhaps more importantly, began to lay the foundation for increased network-level learning during the next phase.

Building Trust: In order to fully participate in a learning network, members need to feel that they have something to gain by contributing to and learning from other members. They also need to have clear expectations and a common understanding about how the knowledge they share will be used, especially in relation to their own organizational guidelines for information sharing. Trust between network members is essential for learning, and organizational buy-in is crucial to enable this trust to develop. If members feel that their organizations are uncomfortable sharing certain types of information with the learning network, there may be a hesitation to fully engage that could, in turn, hinder group collaboration and learning.

Establishing organizational trust can be as simple as generating a memo or some type of informal recognition from the learning network donor expressing appreciation for their participation. However, sometimes members may need to undertake more formal processes to gain organizational buy-in. In the case of GROOVE, many member organizations directly competed with one another for value chain project contracts. Therefore, a more formal agreement was needed to clearly outline how information shared within the network would be used and how each member organization would be recognized in collaborative learning products. As a result, the members developed and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that set clear expectations and guidelines for learning network collaboration. 

Mid-Term Workshop: It is often beneficial to bring learning network members together in person about halfway through the grant. This allows members to re-establish important bonds face-to-face and provides a dedicated block of time to focus on key learning network activities.

The GROOVE mid-term workshop was held on November 4-5, 2010 in Washington, DC and was the first face-to-face meeting since the kick-off meeting 15 months earlier. Members came to the meeting eager to share ideas and engage with other GROOVE members. Several learning network members brought additional staff, which resulted in a highly energetic meeting with a great deal of dialogue around individual organizations’ experiences and network learning. 

This mid-term workshop provided an important opportunity to test the readiness of the group to address network-level learning and deliverables. Since the GROOVE kick-off meeting, relatively little attention had been paid to the network-level learning framework and agenda. This transition towards more focused network-level learning was jarring for some GROOVE members at first, but conversations become more organic and free-flowing as the workshop progressed (see agenda). In the end, original meeting objectives were still met and the group made considerable progress on their learning agenda and the learning network framework. In addition, learning network “product champions” were identified and commitments were made for more in-depth planning.

Characteristics

While earlier phases primarily focus on building trust within the network, about midway through their life cycle, learning networks tend to “turn the corner” toward concentrated development of joint learning. The knowledge products that emerge from this learning (e.g., technical papers, guidance documents, tools) are collaboratively developed with input, ownership, and buy-in from all learning network members. The point at which learning networks are “ready” to address joint learning will vary between networks and will be unique to the members and structure of each. The learning network facilitator can play a key role in identifying opportunities for network-level learning and in easing the transition. For the GROOVE Learning Network, this happened gradually. The mid-term workshop in Phase 4 provided the opportunity to test the group’s readiness to focus more directly on network learning, but the members decided that an additional, informal meeting would help further solidify the collaboration and commitment between members.  

This period often involves a greater investment of time and energy from network members as individual, organizational work continues in conjunction with a greater emphasis on network-level deliverables. Typically, an increased level of engagement will be required among network members as they support one another around network-level initiatives. 

Characteristics

By this phase, most learning networks have already made significant connections with others in their industry as they pursue their own organizational and network-level learning agendas. Participating in conferences and events, soliciting technical assistance, and reaching out to others for feedback on network deliverables are all ways to build linkages with the industry throughout the course of the network. However, the focus in this last phase should move beyond previous forms of engagement towards a more structured dissemination of the learning network knowledge to the broader industry in an effort to influence practices and behavior for better project design, implementation, and, ultimately, impact.

During this phase, learning network members will likely be working on a number of concurrent activities including completing their own organizational objectives, finalizing network-level knowledge products, and strategizing on how to share out network learning to the broader industry. As the learning network comes to an end, the question of “what’s next?” often arises. 

Illustrative Activities Aimed to Influence Industry Learning

Below are some possible activities that can occur in this phase with examples from the GROOVE Learning Network.

Finalizing Deliverables: Finalizing knowledge products is typically one of the most important activities that occur in the final phase of a learning network. The purpose of the knowledge products is to codify network-level learning and package it in such a way that it can be easily shared out with the larger industry. At the end of Phase 4, GROOVE members formed two working groups to focus on the production of their network-level knowledge products (capacity development/mentoring and M&E for value chains). In addition to these two groups, another group focused on the third informal learning product on learning networks. From the mid-term workshop through the end of the learning network, members frequently communicated to share drafts of knowledge products and to seek input based on the workplan that was refined during the Kigali meeting.

The capacity development/mentoring knowledge product working group refined materials that could be used by other organizations implementing their own value chain programs. Final knowledge products included a program brochure, 10 training modules, and an administrator’s guide. This group also developed a marketing plan which analyzed possible users, established key messages, and set up an action plan. In addition to these knowledge products, the working group continued to provide ongoing support to the mentors and mentees who had participated in the Kigali workshop and incorporated feedback received during this time into the knowledge products. 

The M&E working group drafted two briefs based on key topics that had been identified by an industry knowledge gap analysis: Tacit Knowledge in Value Chain Monitoring: Good Practice Principles and Areas of Learning for the Future and Five Things that Every Practitioner Should Know about M&E for Value Chain Projects. These briefs were shared with others outside of the GROOVE Learning Network for comment and feedback utilizing a number of successful outreach strategies. One particularly effective review strategy was the identification of an advisory board made up of outside industry experts. In addition, the Market-Led Facilitation Initiative (MaFI) partnered with the GROOVE Learning Network to host an e-Consultation on one of the briefs through the Microlinks platform. This e-Consultation generated useful feedback that was then integrated into the brief. After considerable review, interaction, and redrafting, two final knowledge products were completed. During this period, input was also sought on a third informal knowledge product through online conversations. The working group decided to look specifically at factors for learning network success as well as the organizational culture of GROOVE.

Final Meeting: The GROOVE Learning Network held its final in-person meeting in Washington, DC on June 25-26, 2012. Prior to the meeting, GROOVE members were polled on how they preferred to use the time and the agenda was developed to reflect feedback received. The final meeting was used as a time to celebrate GROOVE’s accomplishments and reflect on the impact that the learning network had on members and their organizations. During the meeting, members also discussed the question, “What’s next for the GROOVE Learning Network?” Key moments of the meeting were captured and the audio and video recordings were used in the production of this Resource Center.

Industry Outreach: A major goal of learning networks is to capture and scale learning from the organizational level to the industry level. Dissemination of knowledge products to the larger industry is a key final network activity. From the beginning of the learning network, GROOVE members worked closely with a number of other organizations in the industry, including The Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network (SEEP) and one of SEEP’s working groups, MaFI. This engagement provided significant opportunities for collaboration (including valuable feedback for knowledge products) and for building economies of scale.

GROOVE continued to reach out to the larger industry through the end of the learning network. One notable example was GROOVE’s inclusion in the 2012 SEEP Annual Conference. GROOVE members were selected to present the research and learning from their knowledge products in two separate sessions attended by more than 100 people. The sessions that GROOVE participated in included:

• A New Take on Capacity Building for Market Facilitation
• The Role of M&E in Understanding and Effecting Change in Market Systems

GROOVE members have continued to share their learning with the broader industry by sharing knowledge products on key industry websites and communicating key messages within their respective organizations.