Network Governance Issues the Intelligence

Network Governance Issues

The intelligence community can be seen -- and in many instances must be seen -- as a network or series of networks that takes in, processes, and relays information through a series of complex, diverse, and multivariate interconnections. Understanding how networks function and can be made to function more effectively will necessarily have an impact on the efficacy and the reliability of the intelligence community. This puts the issue of intelligence improvement in the same theoretical frame as other network governance issues, which both provides a solid platform from which to conduct investigations into making practical improvements in the intelligence community and its functioning, while at the same time suggesting certain complexities and potential barriers to full efficacy that must be addressed.

Three primary modes of network governance have been identified and examined in current literature on the subject (Provan & Kenis 2007). Participant-governed networks are those governed from within, by the network constituents, with no separate entity and little overt hierarchy (Provan & Kenis 2007). In a lead organization system of network governance, a single member of the network makes all key decisions and coordinates activity, providing greater focus while reducing fluidity (Provan & Kenis 2007). Finally, network administrative governance systems are those that consist of a wholly external entity that expressly and explicitly determines activities, decisions, and other aspects of network governance (Provan & Kenis 2007). The different styles of network governance can be associated with varying levels of network efficacy, depending on other factors (Provan & Kenis 2007).

Another manner by which networks can be divided and understood is more directly related to the purpose or function that a particular network has been established to perform, and effective governance styles can then be extrapolated from these functional styles (Goldsmith & Kettl 2009). In general, the intelligence community operates as a community of shared practice, where all of the members of the network share common functions and areas of expertise, and where the effective pooling of resources could yield to more effective as well as more efficient results (Goldsmith & Kettl 2009). Determining the most effective governance structure for the intelligence community necessitates taking this community structure into account (Goldsmith & Kettl 2009). Other considerations that influence effective network governance include the specific functions and desired outputs of this network and the level of trust that exists between the various network nodes, the size of the network, the clarity and consensus of the goals that the network is working towards, and the nature of the tasks necessary to reach these stated goals (Provan & Kenis 2007).