Networks never walk alone: The management of network portfolios

The increase in the variety and complexity of forms of public sector collaboration is laying the groundwork for a scenario in which governments will have to be able to effectively manage all their networks. This is not only true for each of the networks in which the government participates or leads, but also in terms of its "network portfolio," a concept we introduce in this paper. The evidence produced by this study connects with emerging literature and recent attempts to examine networks from a holistic point of view (Addicott et al. 2006; Agranoff, 2006; Agranoff, 2007; Provan & Kenis, 2008; Rainey, 2008; Weber & Khademian, 2008). We present an extrapolation oriented approach used in an exploratory case (the Council of the province of Barcelona, which leads 27 networks. With the question that there should be a better way of how to do it, our proposal is the network portfolio generation and management, and the recognition that a portfolio approach deserves to be considered -although they still do not deliver conciously as a portfolio-). The primary contribution of our research is the link established between this integral network governance analysis in public management and the knowledge generated from an alliance portfolio view.