However, a partnership approach is neither a quick fix nor an easy option. The transaction costs can be high and all too often time and energy is wasted on a process of partnership building and management that is not well thought through and / or not professionally undertaken. Even worse, there are many scenarios where there is no process in place at all; it is simply assumed that the partnership will work out of a general sense of good will. In such cases, the partnership fails to meet its potential (or even fails completely) because of a lack of leadership or the availability / application of relevant experience, expertise, skills, tools or frameworks. And the whole paradigm takes a step backwards rather than forwards.
The Partnering Initiative was created with the aim of supporting cross-sector partnership approaches to sustainable development worldwide – precisely to help individuals and organisations to avoid the disappointments and lost opportunities referred to abo ve. Those involved with The Partnering Initiative; the partner organisations, the staff team and the global network of associates , have been at the forefront of developing tools and technologies to enable others to build robust and innovative partnership approaches.
Partnership – a definition
While the term partnership is used to describe many types of relationship, we believe that it is important to distinguish between other forms of partnership (eg commercial partnerships or personal relationships) and cross-sector collaboration. The Partnering Initiative works with the following definition:
“A partnership is a cross-sector collaboration in which organisations work together in a transparent, equitable and mutually beneficial way towards a sustainable development goal and where those defined as partners agree to commit resources and share the risks as well as the benefits associated with the partnership.”
We are convinced that it is important that partnership means something specific and can be differentiated from other forms of cross-sector engagement and collaboration. Above all, we believe that it is important that the partners themselves in any partnership work through, agree and document a shared definition of their understanding of their partner relationship.
The Partnering Cycle
It is clear that partnerships can be developed and managed systematically. The diagram below summarises our understanding of the different stages in the life of a partnership. It is, obviously, a schematic; partnerships are evolutionary in nature and no one partnership conforms precisely to this sequence, but many have found it invaluable as a framework for their partnering work.
The Partnering Initiative has experience of supporting partnerships at every stage of this cycle and also works extensively with established partnerships help introduce important early-stage activities that may have been missed that will strengthen the partnership and give it stronger management structures together with renewed focus and vigour.
Partnering Principles
Since IBLF’s earliest work in this field (1992 was the date of our first ever cross-sector partnership workshop) we have seen three core principles as fundamental to the effective working of sustainable development partnerships – no matter where in the world, at what level or scale and / or with what partners they operate.
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Equity: What does 'equity' mean in a relationship where there are wide divergences in power, resources and influence? Equity is not the same as 'equality'. Equity implies an equal right to be at the table and a validation of those contributions that are not measurable simply in terms of cash value or public profile.
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Transparency: Openness and honesty in working relationships are pre-conditions of trust - seen by many as an important ingredient of successful partnership. Only with transparent working will a partnership be truly accountable to its partners donors and other stakeholders.
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Mutual benefit: If all partners are expected to contribute to the partnership they should also be entitled to benefit from the partnership. A healthy partnership will work towards achieving specific benefits for each partner over and above the common benefits to all partners. Only in this way will the partnership ensure the continuing commitment of partners and therefore be sustainable.
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These three key principles can be a useful starting point for discussion between potential partners prior to formalising the partnership, even if they are subsequently replaced by different principles developed by the gorup. What is important is that all partners accept and agree to abide by whatever the group itself decides is appropriate.
Partnering Skills & Roles
Early on it became abundantly clear that partnering requires a particular set of skills and competencies without which the partnership is likely struggle to achieve its goals. We believe key skills include:
- Negotiation
- Mediation
- Facilitation
- Synthesising information
- Coaching / capacity-building
- Institutional engagement
- Institution-strengthening
- Evaluating / reviewing
These skills may be manifest in different partners or staff linked to the partnership. Indeed, allocating responsibilities to those with the most appropriate skills is a great way of building ownership and engagement.
It is also increasingly clear that roles within any partnership always need to be clarified, adapted and allocated.
- Partnership / project 'championship'
- Awareness raising
- Co-ordination / Administration
- Relationship Management
- Resource mobilisation
- Project / programme planning
- Project / programme management
- Communications
- Monitoring
In particular, we see the role of ‘broker’ or ‘process manager’ as key to efficient and effective partnerships. This does not have to be an expensive external consultant but can be someone from within one or other of the partner organisations. In fact, it does not even have to be a single person… but can be a shared role between several people.
The Partnering Initiative specialises in partnering skills development / training and in providing practical support for partnership brokers, process managers and other partnership practitioners.
Partnering Organisations
It is not, however, simply a question of skills and roles. There is a significant (and often overlooked) issue of organisational engagement and systems that are ‘fit for purpose’ in a partnering paradigm. The organisational issue can be understood from three distinct perspectives:
- Organisational Engagement – ensuring organisational capacity to partner effectively and to engage adequately for the partnership to have real value
- Building New Organisational Structures – knowing when it is appropriate for a partnership to create a new, independent entity, and how to select from the plethora of new partnership structures which would be appropriate
- Impacting System Change – it is increasingly clear that partnerships are a complement to – not a substitute for – existing democratic systems… our recommendations to any partners we work with is that the partnership should consider (from day 1!) how it will work alongside existing structures and how it will use its experiences and programmes to positively influence each sector and support system change, where necessary
Sustainable Outcomes
The foundation of our approach to partnerships for sustainable development is the view that partnering is a mechanism not an end in itself. It is a mechanism for bringing about measurable and significant sustainable development outcomes that will endure long after the partnership and the partners have moved on to other things.
