Here are some of the key issues and challenges for partnerships. There is a longer A-Z at Partnerships Online site (http://www.partnerships.org.uk/AZP/A-Zp.htm). Click on any of the below to access text quickly.
Accountability
Added value
Confidence
Control
Delivery
Expectations
Learning
Ownership
Participation
Power
Representation
Resources
Structure
Timescale
Trust
Values
Accountability
Accountability means knowing who is answerable to whom - often difficult in a partnership where paid staff have different employers, and activists a range of allegiances. To clarify accountability in practice consider: Who can stop someone doing something? Whose permission is needed for someone to act? Who pays them? Think of accountability through a process of community involvement as well as representation, and in relation to specific projects as much as structures.
Added value
The partnership must be adding some value to what is happening already – or there isn’t much point in setting it up (see benefits and opportunities above). Partnerships can outstay their initial purpose, in which case it may be time to plan an exit. (See the lifecycle above).
Confidence
We are all confident and capable in some circumstances – at home, with friends, at work. However, new settings can challenge anyone’s confidence… so make sure new partners are welcome, introduced to the way the partnership works, and given training and support where needed. Expect the same if you are engaging with a partnership. Confidence can be undermined by the use of jargon, and a failure to understand different communication styles. Some people love paperwork, others prefer face-to-face explanations. Email can be a blessing for fast communication – but for others technology can sap rather than build confidence. Respect differences.
Control
Control in partnerships tends to lie with those who have the money, skills and administration — however well intentioned they may be in seeking to involve others. For that reason partnerships formed around existing organisations may seem very unequal to other participants. Ways around this include:
- Checking whether ‘partnership’ is the right label for what is being attempted. Would consultation or contract be more appropriate? (See ladder of participation above)
- Being explicit about accountability and terms of reference.
- Setting up formal partnerships when the aim is to share control.
- Dispersing control by creating a network structure around projects.
Delivery
At the end of the day partnerships are about delivering projects or activities, which benefit those involved, or others in the community. It is tempting to try and jump straight to the action – recognise that work is needed to get agreement on what needs to be done, and how to do it. See Lifecycle of a partnership.
Expectations
Conflicts can arise in partnerships because people are looking for different things, and may not understand each other’s hopes and expectations. That’s one reason why it is important to see partnership as a process of creating a shared vision, building trust, and learning to communicate. See Lifecycle of a partnership.
Learning
If partnerships are processes, one of the main activities for those involved should be learning…. how to understand and engage with others, how to deal with new challenges. Reflect on whether the way the partnership operates helps everyone concerned learn and develop new skills and ideas. Is it all formal committees and paperwork, or are there more creative sessions and opportunities to work with others? Some formal training is also likely to be necessary.
Ownership
Partnerships work well if those involved feel some commitment, and that comes from being involved in developing the vision, plans and projects. A sense of ‘not invented here’ kills partnerships, which is why those who ‘own’ the partnership at the outset will do well to share that stake with others.
Participation
Participation is used here to describe a process by which individuals, groups and organisations are consulted about or have the opportunity to become actively involved in a project or programme of activity. See the ladder of participation above. Partnerships require participation – but not all participation is a partnership.
Power
Issues of power and control are central to the development of partnerships. For example:
- Do all key interests have an equal ability or opportunity to participate in developing in the partnership if they wish?
- Who designs the partnership building process; to whom are they accountable?
- Who sets the timetable and controls the funds?
- Who makes the final decisions?
The rhetoric of partnership can often be used to disempower people if it is used - consciously or unconsciously - to mask these fundamental questions. Partnerships should aim to increase the 'power to' of partners – their confidence and ability to participate and deliver - while avoiding imbalances of 'power over' that are unacceptable to some partners.
Representation
The conventional way to address accountability of the partnership is to elect or appoint people from different interest groups to the partnership. However, this may not be enough to ensure the involvement of wider interests, and it may lead to over-large committees or working groups. It is easy for representatives to become just tokens. In addition to appropriate representation, look for other ways to involve key interests in the work of the partnership. See the Guide to Effective Participation referred to elsewhere.
Resources
Resources are more than money. In starting or running a partnership look for other groups that may be prepared to share premises, equipment, staff, contacts and ideas if there is also something in it for them. One of the main reasons for partnerships is to reduce the need for new resources.
Structure
In forming a partnership, there may be a temptation to look for a model constitution, and to think that in agreeing membership, committees, procedures and legal formalities you have created a partnership. These arrangements may be necessary – but the precise structure should be designed to fit the purpose of the partnership. Set up some interim arrangements for decision-making while you work this out, and consider whether you need a new organisation or whether written agreements between partners will be enough.
Timescale
Partnerships almost always take longer than you think – so draw up a timeline reflecting the lifecycle (see above), mark out the different tasks, see what has to happen before what, and put some dates along the line.
Trust
The heart of partnership working is building relationships and trust. That takes time and more than formal meetings. Work on projects together, however small; socialise; share ideas; be open and honest with your partners; put yourself in their shoes and try and help them achieve what they want.
Values
Values – together with trust – are key elements in building the relationship essential for successful partnerships.
Values are statements of what we consider important. Since they may be emotive, political, and difficult to express, they are frequently hidden.
However it is difficult to understand each other or reach agreement if we are unclear about values.
For example, council officers faced with a tight project timetable may be frustrated by a community group which insists on numerous meetings, held in the evenings, leading to the appointment of a representative steering group.
The officers value cost-effective delivery of 'product' acceptable to their political masters and the Government;
The group values openness and democratic process.
In groups where there may be underlying differences of values it is often most productive to concentrate first on what there is in common by discussing outcomes — what you would like to happen at the end of the day — and how you can get there.