ABSTRACT
Changes inside and outside the water sector are creating new demands for knowledge and capacity, but water institutions have considerable inertia and do not easily adjust to changing demands. The need for change and innovation has become the main driver for people and organizations to create new social structures like Communities of Practice and Knowledge Networks aiming to generate more value through information and knowledge sharing. In the past decades, ICT has further spurred the creation of these networks. In this paper, a framework for developing and improving knowledge networks in the water arena is proposed that focuses on 1) catering to demand, 2) delivering results, and 3) managing the networking process. Specific attention is given to determining and measuring outputs and outcomes, and to identifying success factors and overcoming constraints for effective networking. The performance of some selected water knowledge networks is assessed to define the most important issues for knowledge networking.
