Good practice Hungary: partnership and networks

CORE QUALITY CRITERIA: PARTNERSHIPS AND NETWORKS

Main aspects important for quality assurance in the case of a specific quality area (i.e. Partnerships and networks)

INDICATORS
(CORE AND ADDITIONAL/DESCRIPTORS)

What might indicate quality in the partnership?

EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT INDICATORS

What evidence is available to support the inclusion of the indicators?

Common and shared vision of the partnership/network explicitly defined and promoted

Definition:

The vision statement describes what the network wants to be. The vision focuses on the future, gives shape and direction to the future, inspires people, groups and communities and above all shall be relevant for many years.

Key question:

What is the future you want to create for the network? Such as collaborative action and building long lasting relations among network members.

Opportunities are created to commonly map and exchange expectations and scenarios about possible futures

The partnership capitalizes on previous experience available from Learning Regions / Cities initiatives

The vision statement is adopted and assimilated into the organizations' culture

The vision statement is easy to understand, regarding clarity and lack of ambiguity, vivid and clear picture, description of a bright future, memorable and engaging wording, realistic aspirations, alignment with organizational values and culture.

There is a clear public expression of the vision statement and clear responsibilities to communicating the vision regularly, creating narratives that illustrate the vision, acting as role-models by embodying the vision, creating short-term objectives compatible with the vision, and encouraging others to craft their own personal / organisational vision compatible with the partnership / network's overall vision

It is ensured that the vision statement of the partnership/network is reviewed and revised if necessary, based on achievements and progress

Members' engagement in mapping future expectations and exchange about vision statement, meetings, workshops have taken place

Knowledge from assessment is available to partnership

A critical mass of input is gained according to the guiding principles and methods agreed, themes are documented, a draft vision statement is issued

Network actors cite / relate to the common vision statement in strategy documents of organisations

Feedback from network actors and target audience indicates common understanding of vision statement

Vision expressed in partnership/network official documents, reports, website, press release, news letters etc. Visual identity of the partnership: logos, letter head/header, posters, etc.

Procedures for review are in place, review periods and targets are scheduled, amendments are communicated and documented

Collaborative planning of a logo

The Regional Cluster for Tourism and Event Management has been formed relatively recently. The 18 members have come together from different sectors ( local governments, cultural complexes, a university research unit, several civic organisations and tourism firms ). As they are very varied in terms of size and profile it was difficult to plan a visual logo expressing that range and their intention of acting together, to form a unity that builds upon their diverse resources and providing a value to each.

Using face-to-face meetings and online communication methods a sort of mind mapping was done.

The first picture they created was around the image of a festival marquee: a big tent with a huge roof ( representing an umbrella network) under which smaller tents are subsumed. Then another idea was put forward when somebody pointed out a spiral-shaped necklace worn by one of the members.

The relevant notions collected below here were the following: the visual symbolism has to be  curving, a spiral form that  capture the constant reinforcing of the inner ring ( by members influencing each other) and simultaneously expresses the ability to affect others outside the circle, the goal of mobilizing other players. The energy should be directed both inside and outside . The other concept they picked up was to express dynamism, bubbling, twirling, spinning, i.e. an intensive liveliness somehow. The members should work together in the same way that gear wheels do with each other.

In Hungarian folk culture there is a flower motive, a „rozetta” symbol, a sort of „swirling rose” that  turns around an axis in the same direction. That was chosen and all the ideas were given to a graphic designer whose variations can be seen below.

The final logo can be seen at www. fesztivalcluster.hu

View the logos

Trust and openness amongst partners exists (even within competitive conditions)

Conditions and communication channels are ensured that information is shared among partners.

Conditions are ensured that disagreements that could occur are managed through a constructive dialogue by all members of the network.

Achievements are recognised within partnership and impact of specific results are documented/promoted within the network.

City-cooperation project in Pécs (Hungary)

A civic  initiative  (a joint project of the South Transdanubia Chamber of Architecture, the South Transdanubia Cultural Industries Cluster and the Pécs-Baranya Chamber of Commerce and Industry) with the aim of contributing to the revitalization of development policies in the city through enhancing participatory  community planning  involving  and expanding different stakeholder organizations and arriving at a new city development concept to be formed   next year.

City  Cooperation has initiated the creation of a new forum for cooperation among a wide range of local stakeholders with vested interests, or with decision making competence, in the various urban development measures, including market players, professional, community or municipal actors. The key aspiration of City Cooperation is to become a forum for genuine co-ordination for the profession and the community, rather than one of purely academic analysis.

(http://varoskoop.pecsicivil.hu)