Collaboration support is one of three primary service areas of the Practice's Change Management Services, along with Strategic Governance and Strategic Management. All three are essential.
Whether internal or external, experience has shown that concepts, for example, of "collaboration", "partnership" and "joint venture", are often promoted on the basis of presumed potential benefits without due regard for what it takes for them to be realized on the ground. This includes necessary and proactive attention to terms of reference, design requirements, strategy, policy and operations as well as to risk and reward management.
Inevitably, there are non-starters, roadblocks, landmines and deadends to be avoided. There are also approaches and techniques that work in planning, initiating and evolving collaboration of various kinds. These need to be considered in advance. The proposed or existing relationship needs to have a charter and design before it can operate effectively and sustainably for its stakeholders.
There are examples in internal initiatives, multi-organizational initiatives and in "cooperating to compete". There are other examples of planned and unexpected challenges to divisions of policy, management, operations and accountability that can emerge in public, private or public-private alternative approaches.
Effectively developing joint undertakings - internal or external, private or public - requires more than usual attention to both landmines and opportunities. Third party facilitation and dispute management at various stages can be a valuable resource in designing, implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of various kinds of cooperative undertakings.
The Practice collaborates in these and related areas through needs assessment, design, facilitation and advisory roles, for example: a) partnerships, joint ventures and alliances; b) grass roots, front-line and stakeholder engagement; c) consultative, consensus and collaborative processes; d) meeting and process facilitation.
Copyright 1999-2007 Frank McLean
page last updated 29 Jan 07
