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TRAINING

Managing by network

Are you working in partnership, community collaboration and/or Tribal consultation to cooperatively steward our nation’s natural, cultural, and recreational resources?

Join us for Managing by Network, a training program designed to improve your readiness to apply relevant partnership competencies on the job.

This online, competency-based training program is scheduled over 6 months, and includes live webinars, peer learning, networking, and application opportunities. 

Strengthen your professional skill set to:

  • Build consensus and promote trust

  • Facilitate internal and external meetings

  • Apply persuasion and negotiation strategies

  • Recognize conflict and respond effectively

  • Evaluate risk and demonstrate accountability

  • Assess partnership performance and impacts

  • Leverage resources to build collaborative capacity

  • Expand your networks to support partnerships

Explore practices. Build skills. Learn from peers.

Applications for the Class of 2025 are now open.

Download the 2025 Managing by Network Course Flyer

Impact

Managing by Network offers an unparalleled opportunity to connect with agency peers. Participants represent various agencies, positions, and communities nationwide.

Course participants share insights from their work with diverse partners including Native Nations, private landowners, public, private, and nonprofit organizations.

Participants apply course learning directly to their jobs. More than 90% agree that the course supports on-the-job application and reference their learning on a regular basis.

Managing by Network supports agency mission priorities and partnership practice. Participants and alumni lead significant partnership responsibilities within their agencies. Most spend more than half of their time working in partnership and may work on 20+ partnerships at a time.

Testimonials
This is a very inspiring course. I am thinking a lot more creatively about partnerships and opportunities. (USDA FS)
I took away something useful from every class that shifted my thinking or contributed to my current partnership efforts in meaningful ways. (NOAA)
The models and instructional materials were such high quality and resources I will reflect on and use for the rest of my career. (USDA FS)
The networking and learning around other agency’s missions was outstanding. (USFWS)
Learning more tools and strategies for collaboration and consultation has helped me be more confident and effective in this practice. (BLM)
This course helped me build a road map for everything from helping groups fortify their organizational development to identifying succession planning. (NPS)
Best course I have ever taken. The course was highly organized, and instructors were experts in facilitation and keeping participants engaged. (FL FWC)
I will use all knowledge and skills from MBN to strengthen various partnerships and facilitate external and internal meetings on a daily basis. (USACE)
This has been the best training I’ve had in 25 years. I wish I’d had it earlier in my career. (USDA FS)
The attendance flexibility allowed me to focus on the regular job while not missing out on the training. (BLM)
Hearing from agency professionals with such extensive field and partnership experience was incredibly valuable. (USDA FS)
I'm already applying what I learned towards establishing a new partnership between our program and a Tribal community. (NPS)
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Learning Objectives

Applying knowledge and skills learned in this course, participants will be able to:

  • Strengthen an internal and external network of individuals and organizations to advance the mission of the agency.
  • Build accountability and trust between agencies, organizations, or Tribes and their partners, interested parties, and the public. 
  • Demonstrate professional competence in applying best practices for partnership, community collaboration, and Tribal consultation.
  • Apply social science concepts and practices to support relevance and resilience in building, maintaining, and sustaining partner networks.
  • Understand and navigate differences in agency and partner organizational cultures and authorities, while working cooperatively to leverage resources and achieve common goals.

Managing by Network is cohosted by:
Partnership and Community Collaboration Academy logo
USDA Forest Service Logo
Bureau of Land Management Logo
US Fish & Wildlife Service Logo
National Park Service Logo
US Army Corps of Engineers, Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise (CPCX)
DOI Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution Logo
Partnership and Community Collaboration Academy logo

We are an interagency community of partnership practitioners working to cooperatively steward the natural, cultural, and recreational resources in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

Learn more