Rețele și parteneriate locale

1. Networking Basics

1.2. “Networking” – What is that?

Networking refers to both the establishment and maintenance, intensification and thus maintenance of personal and professional contacts for reasons that go beyond the mere interest of establishing contact. Networking is a soft skill that should not be underestimated, which increases entrepreneurial opportunities and makes profitable co-operations fruitful for founders as a skillfully applied vitamin B ability. "Stay in touch" is the credo of networking.

Ideally, this should result in networks, which define groups of people through a relationship to each other. Their purpose is to support each other, to offer help and to cooperate; but without the participation of people outside the network who could contribute a service or benefit from the activities of the network.

Figure 1: Overview of contacts

figure 1

Source: ZiB-Draft

This systematization of the cultivation of contacts to the goals of mutual professional profitability is closely related to beneficial economic activities and therefore defines relationships in the sense of mutual, consolidated interaction, i.e. going beyond mere contact. From an economic point of view, cooperation should be initiated through networking. Only an active, densely interwoven network with qualitative contacts and frequent establishment of contacts brings advantages for both sides and ensures the effectiveness of the network in the long term. If this targeted networking has a positive effect on career opportunities, one speaks of goal-oriented networking or business networking, whereby the benefits of private relationships for the profession should not be ignored. This principle can be applied very well to events such as pitches (read more: News) and is therefore particularly relevant for start-ups.

At the same time, the broadness of its radius of effect is achieved by networking via the principle that the contact of a contact is also a contact. This means not only using direct contacts, but a contact branches out and networks itself further independently. This networking takes place particularly efficiently via so-called agents, who gather a particularly large number of contacts around them and thus act as multipliers of contact for those who know one or more agents.

Source: https://www.deutschland-startet.de/gruenderlexikon-networking/


Figure 2 : My network

figure 2

Source: ZiB-Draft

Tasks:

  • Underline the keywords

  • Put the keywords in a good order for you


Objective:

Understand the characteristics of social networks, get to know basic concepts and concepts of network analysis, develop the ability to visualize one's own networks and create an awareness of the potential of network visualization. Identify first steps in building a local network and identify potential challenges.