Presenting a Phased Development Pattern of Network Governance Using a Meta-synthesis Approach

Governments tend to implement different governance types as they face various social, political, and economic conditions. Rapid technological developments have created a new form of governance in governmental administrations called Network Governance. Network governance refers to a set of governmental and nongovernmental parties who interact and participate officially or unofficially in order to make decisions on solving general problems, creating public values and providing public services. This study is aimed at providing a model for the development of network governance in Governmental Organizations using a meta-synthesis approach. In this research, after conducting a precise review on the subject, a combination of the findings of the quantitative and the qualitative studies was used to design the current pattern. Among a pool of 297 studies in the field of network governance, 132 topics were selected and their content and dimensions were extracted. The Shannon entropy equation was then used to determine the importance and priority of the chosen topics. Based on research’s findings ICT codes, cyber security, network profitability, citizen participation in the network, constructive engagements, interactions between network members, accountability, network structure frameworks, network development perspectives, network-driven technological conditions, knowledge-based human resources, information utilization skills, and communication technologies (ICT), obtained the highest importance among the 21 dimensions of network governance development. In this research, the network governance development model is presented in four stages: the identification of network requirements, the network design, the network activation and participation, and finally the network development. Considering the special characteristics and indigenous conditions of governmental organizations in our country, a specific model for the development of network governance hasn’t been provided yet. Therefore, this research can be considered as a comprehensive and appropriate road map for the development of such governance in governmental organizations in the country.