SYSTEM CHANGE
Changing organisational behaviour
Recognising the limitations of ‘business as usual’, many corporations, governments and international agencies, which once sought to control and shape their environment or context, are now seeking to redefine themselves in recognition of the fact that no single nation or sector has adequate resource, know-how, power or legitimacy to decide or operate for all of us. Using cross-sector partnerships to help companies, governments, international agencies and civic groups move beyond ‘command-and-control’ approaches promises not only to help each sector to adapt to a more turbulent and unpredictable world, but also to bring about system change in the way we organise ourselves as humanity to better address the global challenges of the 21st century.
The Partnering Initiative’s contribution to system change is about helping business, civil society, government and international agencies to adapt themselves for working in partnership with others by learning from each other’s experience and drawing on each others’ expertise and resources. More specifically, we seek to work with partners to:
Key initiatives focused explicitly on bringing about system change include:
Partnering with Governments – Helping African governments adopt a more partnership-oriented approach to dealing with civil society and business.
Partnership Declaration – Mobilising a global partnership movement with a call to action.
Partnership Forum – Supporting partnership practitioners worldwide in their efforts to make cross-sector partnerships for sustainable development more effective.
Coming soon: Fit for Purpose: Building Institutional Capacity for Partnership Toolbook – Providing guidance on how to make your organisation partnership-ready and more fit for purpose in a turbulent and unpredictable world.
Recognising the limitations of ‘business as usual’, many corporations, governments and international agencies, which once sought to control and shape their environment or context, are now seeking to redefine themselves in recognition of the fact that no single nation or sector has adequate resource, know-how, power or legitimacy to decide or operate for all of us. Using cross-sector partnerships to help companies, governments, international agencies and civic groups move beyond ‘command-and-control’ approaches promises not only to help each sector to adapt to a more turbulent and unpredictable world, but also to bring about system change in the way we organise ourselves as humanity to better address the global challenges of the 21st century.
The Partnering Initiative’s contribution to system change is about helping business, civil society, government and international agencies to adapt themselves for working in partnership with others by learning from each other’s experience and drawing on each others’ expertise and resources. More specifically, we seek to work with partners to:
- Challenge and transform existing systems; mainstreaming business engagement/ cross-sector collaboration
- Build systemic capacity for sustainability
- Influence legislation, policy and key influencers (e.g. donors, corporations, international agencies) to address systemic issues and system change.
Key initiatives focused explicitly on bringing about system change include:
Partnering with Governments – Helping African governments adopt a more partnership-oriented approach to dealing with civil society and business.
Partnership Declaration – Mobilising a global partnership movement with a call to action.
Partnership Forum – Supporting partnership practitioners worldwide in their efforts to make cross-sector partnerships for sustainable development more effective.
Coming soon: Fit for Purpose: Building Institutional Capacity for Partnership Toolbook – Providing guidance on how to make your organisation partnership-ready and more fit for purpose in a turbulent and unpredictable world.
“…Ultimately, system change may be a more important outcome of a partnership than any other. In other words, if the partnership leads to a government department functioning more creatively and efficiently; or to an international corporation contributing more vigorously or systematically to sustainable development in all aspects of its operations; or to an NGO having a much larger-scale impact – then the ‘outcomes’ of the partnership will have become significantly more substantial than its ‘outputs’…”
The Partnering Toolbook, 2007 (First edition 2003)
The Partnering Toolbook, 2007 (First edition 2003)
