The  Art  &  Science    of  Cross-­‐sector  Partnering  

Ros  Tennyson  Senior  Partnership  Advisor,  IBLF    

The Partnership Brokering Project

Defining  The  Term  ‘Partnership’  

An  ongoing  working  rela-onship                                    

where  risks  and  benefits  are  shared  

 What  ma<ers  most  is  not  whether  partnerships  conform  to  this  defini?on    

but  that  all  partners  in  a  partnership  agree  a  defini?on  that  underpins  their  work.    

Most  partners  do  not  work  with  a  shared  defini?on...(and  this  can  be  fatal)  

Most  partnerships  ‘play  safe’...(and  fail  to  maximise  poten?al)  

Being  in  line  with  this  defini?on  implies…  

that  each  partner:    

helps  to      

CO-­‐CREATE  

ac<vi<es  

brings  some    CONTRIBUTION  

to  the  table  

is  

ACCOUNTABLE  

to  the  group  

Partnerships  evolve  over  ?me  …  

RESPECT for the added value each

party brings

1. EQUITY

Partnerships  need  (at  least)  3  core  principles…    

2. TRANSPARENCY TRUST with partners more willing

to innovate & take risks

3. MUTUAL BENEFIT ENGAGEMENT

more likely to sustain & build value over time

Addressing (actual or perceived) power imbalance

Partnering  key  issue:  

Understanding each other’s underlying interests

Partnering  key  issue:  

Investing in the partnership-building process

Partnering  key  issue:  

Partnering  challenges  

•  Leadership  &  collabora<on  •  Reconfiguring  language  &  thinking  •  Unity  &  diversity  •  Differing  views  of  ‘success’  •  LeKng  go  of  (some)  control  

•  Communica<on  That’s  OK,  I’m  not  listening  

I’m  not  talking  to  

you  

✽ Insight  /  imagina?on  /      

       feeling  ✽ Vision  (of  the  future)  ✽ People  skills  ✽ Ac?ve  listening  ✽ Personal  engagement  

Partnering  is  an  ‘art’  because  it  requires:  

Rene Magritte

Partnering  is  a  ‘science’  because  it  requires:  

✽  Knowledge  /  analysis  /              thinking  ✽   Understanding  (of  the                  past)  ✽   Administra?ve  /                technical  skills  ✽   Precise  speaking  ✽   Professional  detachment  

At  its  best,  partnering:  

Allows  a  level  of  risk  /  ‘out  of  the  box’  thinking    

Mobilises  /  is  driven  by  diverse  resources  

Gets  beyond  /  and  changes  the  status  quo  

Draws  out  new  forms  of  leadership  

Makes  collabora?on  an  exci?ng  and  realis?c  op?on  

Tackles  the  seemingly  impossible  

Assumes  ‘change’  is  the  norm...  

To  download  tool  books  go  to:  thepartneringini?a?ve.org  

For  informa?on  on  the  Partnership  Brokering  Project:  partnershipbrokers.org  

To  connect  with  other  partnership  prac??oners:  partnershipforum.org