ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a new framework for the development practice characterized by the innovative practitioner. It shows where the networking activities fit and why the skilled brokering of knowledge partnerships is at the heart of innovative development practice. As development organizations have come to realize that development is a social process, they have sought to build relationships for change with local communities. The innovative practitioner may be a professional community development worker or a community-based volunteer; he or she may manage a major national policy portfolio or simply have a passion for doing something about a development issue on the ground in his or her local community. By intentionally encouraging flows of knowledge across social and cultural boundaries, the innovative practitioner answers the central challenge of how to catalyze innovation in local communities. Development immersions are opportunities for professional development practitioners with office-based roles to spend time in the field with local communities.
