Resources
The Good Side of Power
The Nature of a Partnership
Corky McReynolds, PhD, CPF August 2019
Principal
LeadTeam, LLC
Senior Fellow
Center for Public Service
Portland State University
Partnership Perceptions
Partnership is a common topic in our non-profit world today. Many organizational strategic plans include the term and concept of partnership at some level for the organization’s future. The term partnership is applied to a wide variety of organizational contexts and relationships by all types of non-profits and governmental agencies. Does use of the word partnership across a wide spectrum of definitions hinder non-profit effectiveness? Should we have a common definition and use of terms that are relevant to non-profit work?
Organizations define partnership as it best fits and benefits their needs. In most cases when the word partnership is used, it is in the context and the need to strengthen an organization’s fiscal stability. Almost any involvement or contribution with another organization is referred to as a partnership. Is this a true partnership or some other type of organizational relationship?
Continuing challenges to meet the organization’s mission while maintaining fiscal sustainability appears to be a primary motivator for identifying a partnership. Foundations are also a factor as they encourage partnerships as a more effective use for their funding priorities. Financial pressures and limited resources may be the pressures influencing the desire to embrace partnerships.
Why does the definition and practice of partnership matter?
Defining and practicing a true organizational partnership can result in more effective use of resources. With more impact. Organizational leaders can assess their level and scope of involvement, determine outcomes, and learn how to use time and resources with strategies that best fit that type of organizational relationship.
Core Organizational Relationships
This article proposes three core types of organizational relationships that are commonly referred to as a partnership. By establishing a common definition for each of the three core relationships with differentiating factors; a model can be established, that illustrates the differences and connections.
Each of the proposed core organizational relationships are equally important to any organization. Any single relationship may remain at that level or it could evolve into another level. Each requires it own set of energy, commitment, and results to remain viable.
Business Relationships and Sponsorships
A business relationship is when an organization seeks and receives services and provides a product in return. When an organization needs a vendor for a product or service and pays for that service when rendered is a business relationship. This is a very important type of relationship and relies on both entities to meet the agreed upon expectations. Another example is when a local business provides fiscal support for an event and receives recognition on a banner. Another example of this type of relationship is receiving funds from a sponsor (foundation) to provide a specific program or service. The organization needs something and receives support from an external party. To be successful in the business and sponsorship type, both parties need to receive what has been previously agreed upon and meet the organization’s expectations.
Collaborations
Collaborations are relationships betweentwo or more entities that allow the institutions to reach their own goals and provide existing service to the community more effectively and efficiently. Similar programs operated by similar mission-minded organizations cooperate together to provide services cooperatively. An example is two community organizations that both provide scheduled food service for the poor or homeless. Both were providing the service on a Tuesday evening. Through collaboration one decided to change to a Thursday. This not only increased service to the community, but it also allowed the two organizations to share resources, volunteers, and joint public announcements.
The nature of a true partnership includes two or more organizations that are engaged together to create and implement something new, something that did not exist before, something that is community centric, and something that one organization could not achieve on its own. A partnership is never formed to improve the organization and can only be formed when there is a desire to contribute to a larger community service.
The Concept of Organizational Relationships
Exhibit 1 illustrates the nature of the three major types of organizational relationships. Each of three types are of equal value, but each relationship has its own purpose, interactions, and indicators.
The model and tool can be used to determine what type of relationship currently exists and what type of relationship the organization should be seeking.
Exhibit 1. sThe Concept of Organizational Relationships
Partnership
(1+1=3)
Broader Deeper
Impact Relationships
Business/Sponsorship Collaborations
(1+1=1) (1+1=2)
Developed by Corky McReynolds, PhD, CPF ©2016, 2019
Indicators
The Business Relationship/Sponsor is driven by Procedure or “doing things the right way” with best practices to establish, maintain, and enhance relationships so all organizations receive and deliver what is expected based on the agreements in place.
The Collaboration is driven by Process or “doing things the right way for the right reason”. Collaboration requires a deeper level of commitment, self-discovery, and openness to find solutions and pathways for common challenges and opportunities.
The Partnership is driven by Purpose or “doing the right thing” to discover a broad, long-term
service, program, or product that benefits the community and that could not have been completed by any single organization.
Organizational Relationship Tool
An organizational relationship tool & self-assessment is being developed by the author based on the diagram. The purpose of the tool is to first identify, then honestly label, various organizational relationships into one of the three types. After labeling, the tool can be used to determine the health of the relationship, what should be changed, and how much and what type of energy should be invested. For more information contact Corky at corky@leadteamconsulting.com
Integration of the Concept
The term partnership in non-profit and governmental organizations is used for many different types of organizational relationships. It is important to understand the differences, the potential, the limitations, and ultimate goal for a true partnership. The word partnership may be overused with perhaps few organizational relationships being a true partnership. Since all types of organizational relationships are important; the goal is not to change or to create new relationships, but to understand and determine if any current relationships have the potential to be enhanced. Is there an opportunity to create a true partnership that would result in a new community service, program, or product? Just as important, is there an opportunity to enhance an existing business or collaborative relationship?
Resources
Eisler, R. (2002). The Power of Partnership. Novato, CA: New World Library.
Evans, T & Dreyfus, S. (2017) Two National Organizations Strive to Model Their Generative Partnerships to Accelerate Their Shared Visons. Social Innovations Journal, Issue 39.
Gauthier, A. (2013). Actualizing Evolutionary Co-Leadership: To Evolve a Creative and Responsible Society. Core Leadership Development. eBook.
Gauthier, A. & Veltrop, B. (2018). What is a generative Alliance and How does it work?
Unpublished white paper.
Morgan, D., Ingle, M., Shinn, C. (2019). New Public Leadership. New York: Routledge.
Zola, B. (2016). Five levels of Community Partnerships. Lansing: MSU Extension.
Corky McReynolds, PhD, CPF August 2019
Principal
LeadTeam, LLC
Senior Fellow
Center for Public Service
Portland State University
Partnership Perceptions
Partnership is a common topic in our non-profit world today. Many organizational strategic plans include the term and concept of partnership at some level for the organization’s future. The term partnership is applied to a wide variety of organizational contexts and relationships by all types of non-profits and governmental agencies. Does use of the word partnership across a wide spectrum of definitions hinder non-profit effectiveness? Should we have a common definition and use of terms that are relevant to non-profit work?
Organizations define partnership as it best fits and benefits their needs. In most cases when the word partnership is used, it is in the context and the need to strengthen an organization’s fiscal stability. Almost any involvement or contribution with another organization is referred to as a partnership. Is this a true partnership or some other type of organizational relationship?
Continuing challenges to meet the organization’s mission while maintaining fiscal sustainability appears to be a primary motivator for identifying a partnership. Foundations are also a factor as they encourage partnerships as a more effective use for their funding priorities. Financial pressures and limited resources may be the pressures influencing the desire to embrace partnerships.
Why does the definition and practice of partnership matter?
Defining and practicing a true organizational partnership can result in more effective use of resources. With more impact. Organizational leaders can assess their level and scope of involvement, determine outcomes, and learn how to use time and resources with strategies that best fit that type of organizational relationship.
Core Organizational Relationships
This article proposes three core types of organizational relationships that are commonly referred to as a partnership. By establishing a common definition for each of the three core relationships with differentiating factors; a model can be established, that illustrates the differences and connections.
Each of the proposed core organizational relationships are equally important to any organization. Any single relationship may remain at that level or it could evolve into another level. Each requires it own set of energy, commitment, and results to remain viable.
Business Relationships and Sponsorships
A business relationship is when an organization seeks and receives services and provides a product in return. When an organization needs a vendor for a product or service and pays for that service when rendered is a business relationship. This is a very important type of relationship and relies on both entities to meet the agreed upon expectations. Another example is when a local business provides fiscal support for an event and receives recognition on a banner. Another example of this type of relationship is receiving funds from a sponsor (foundation) to provide a specific program or service. The organization needs something and receives support from an external party. To be successful in the business and sponsorship type, both parties need to receive what has been previously agreed upon and meet the organization’s expectations.
- What does this relationship look like? The relationship can be short-term, such as a one-time grant from a foundation, or long-term, which could be 20-year history with a HVAC company that provided services for a building. Often the long-term relationships can result in donated or reduced cost for services and supplies; or business sponsorships for special events.
- What is required for a lasting relationship? A faithful exchange of the service required. If a foundation provides funding, it is going to require documentation and evaluation. If a vendor provides plumbing services, it needs to receive payment on time. If the organization requires an electrician, the vendor needs to show up on time and fix the issue. The relationship can be enhanced through excellent customer service, in both directions, or it can be broken if one or both entities fail to provide their part of the agreement.
- When does it end? As long as both entities are in business and the relationship is satisfactory, the relationship can last a long time.
- What interactions are required? Interactions are transactional, meaning the customer/business relationship is reciprocal and can be enhanced by best practices in the establishing and maintaining good relations, product delivery, and reimbursement.
- What is a case example? As a former director I could not imagine why my site manager spent so much time chit-chatting, having coffee and sometimes lunch with our cadre of HVAC, plumbers, electricians, and other vendors. I noticed our Food Service Manager doing the same practices. I learned that they both were involved in building strong business relationships and that time dedicated (although transactional) was critical for speedy and competent service when we needed assistance fast. These vendors would quickly respond! This was not a partnership because both entities were acting on their needs and and expectations, but this type of relationship is extraordinarily important to operations.
- What is the formula? 1+1=1. Both entities offer and receive value, but the relationship remains organizationally centric.
Collaborations
Collaborations are relationships betweentwo or more entities that allow the institutions to reach their own goals and provide existing service to the community more effectively and efficiently. Similar programs operated by similar mission-minded organizations cooperate together to provide services cooperatively. An example is two community organizations that both provide scheduled food service for the poor or homeless. Both were providing the service on a Tuesday evening. Through collaboration one decided to change to a Thursday. This not only increased service to the community, but it also allowed the two organizations to share resources, volunteers, and joint public announcements.
- What this relationship looks like? The relationship requires additional trust and a specified process to identify the purpose and desired outcome of the collaboration. A jointly-developed program and agreement results from the collaborative work and is maintained through regularly-scheduled communications and periodic evaluation of the relationship.
- What is required for a lasting relationship? Continued and open communications and adherence to the agreement are required along with a review of the nature of the relationship. If working well the participating organizations may explore developing new programs for a broader purpose, something that none of the participants were doing, which could lead to a true partnership. The collaboration to establish the joint product may also end if it becomes totally operational and embedded into the culture of all the entities involved.
- When does it end? The collaboration can be long-lasting as long as the program/product is intended to be a long-lasting service to the community. The collaboration requires attention, care and feeding, and periodic review to become and remain a viable relationship.
- What interactions are required? Primary interactions are transactional (driven by need) and with opportunity to become transformational. (driven by desire). As a transactional relationship each entity exhibits behaviors to establish and maintain trust and open communications. The driver is both organizational and community centric, but the relationship can be broken if one of the participating organizations steps out of line with the agreement. The transformational relationship is possible when organizations begin to see beyond the original intentions of the agreement.
- What is a case example? Three environmental education centers that were offering a similar program to the same grade level students. The organizations formed a network, and each decided to offer different programs to specific grade levels. This reduced competition, encouraged joint marketing, and improved service to the schools.
- Formula: 1+1=2. Although driven by the need for the participating organizations to be more efficient and effective in delivering a type of service (organizationally centric), the product/outcome increases the benefits of service to the intended audience. (community centric).
The nature of a true partnership includes two or more organizations that are engaged together to create and implement something new, something that did not exist before, something that is community centric, and something that one organization could not achieve on its own. A partnership is never formed to improve the organization and can only be formed when there is a desire to contribute to a larger community service.
- What this relationship looks like? A true partnership requires an organization to step out of its norm. It has to look beyond its own needs and refocus on the long-terms needs, desires, and vision of the community it serves. Partnerships require trust not just in who we are, but trust so that we can become something greater together. Partnerships require letting go and being open to change not only in how we do business, but also how we might evolve.
- What is required for a lasting relationship? A firm belief that by working together and with the community, the relationship can make a broader impact. The relationship is transformational, meaning all parties are changed for the better. The end product or service will change how we and our community views us. Generative alliance is a term describing the impact for each organization that each is equal and each partner is transformed. (Gauthier,2013).
- When does it end? Partnerships can be both short and long term depending on the nature of the intended product or service. As long as the relationship remains community centric and transformational there is no limited time. Partnerships can end if the impact results in a new organization that is purposed to continue the operations of the partnership. Indicators include level of trust, communications, and continued desires that are community, not organizationally centric.
- What interactions are required? Partnerships require transformational relationships that result in a generative alliance. Transformational interactions require an open willingness to let go and to be open to change. A generative alliance results when all participating organizations interact to achieve a larger community centric cause.
- What is a case example? A small town has a loose network of local leaders from a wide variety of organizations. Through discussions it became apparent that there was a collective desire to create a county wide leadership program. All of the organizations had already realized they could not create or operate this type of program on their own. The partnership was created and included a local chamber of commerce, the city manager, a community college, a university unit, university extension, and interested citizens. The partnership produced a new county-wide leadership program that is now in its 10th year.
- Formula: 1+1=3. A new community program, product, or service is created that would not exist without a true partnership in action. Participating organizations and the community are transformed.
The Concept of Organizational Relationships
Exhibit 1 illustrates the nature of the three major types of organizational relationships. Each of three types are of equal value, but each relationship has its own purpose, interactions, and indicators.
The model and tool can be used to determine what type of relationship currently exists and what type of relationship the organization should be seeking.
Exhibit 1. sThe Concept of Organizational Relationships
Partnership
(1+1=3)
Broader Deeper
Impact Relationships
Business/Sponsorship Collaborations
(1+1=1) (1+1=2)
Developed by Corky McReynolds, PhD, CPF ©2016, 2019
Indicators
The Business Relationship/Sponsor is driven by Procedure or “doing things the right way” with best practices to establish, maintain, and enhance relationships so all organizations receive and deliver what is expected based on the agreements in place.
The Collaboration is driven by Process or “doing things the right way for the right reason”. Collaboration requires a deeper level of commitment, self-discovery, and openness to find solutions and pathways for common challenges and opportunities.
The Partnership is driven by Purpose or “doing the right thing” to discover a broad, long-term
service, program, or product that benefits the community and that could not have been completed by any single organization.
Organizational Relationship Tool
An organizational relationship tool & self-assessment is being developed by the author based on the diagram. The purpose of the tool is to first identify, then honestly label, various organizational relationships into one of the three types. After labeling, the tool can be used to determine the health of the relationship, what should be changed, and how much and what type of energy should be invested. For more information contact Corky at corky@leadteamconsulting.com
Integration of the Concept
The term partnership in non-profit and governmental organizations is used for many different types of organizational relationships. It is important to understand the differences, the potential, the limitations, and ultimate goal for a true partnership. The word partnership may be overused with perhaps few organizational relationships being a true partnership. Since all types of organizational relationships are important; the goal is not to change or to create new relationships, but to understand and determine if any current relationships have the potential to be enhanced. Is there an opportunity to create a true partnership that would result in a new community service, program, or product? Just as important, is there an opportunity to enhance an existing business or collaborative relationship?
Resources
Eisler, R. (2002). The Power of Partnership. Novato, CA: New World Library.
Evans, T & Dreyfus, S. (2017) Two National Organizations Strive to Model Their Generative Partnerships to Accelerate Their Shared Visons. Social Innovations Journal, Issue 39.
Gauthier, A. (2013). Actualizing Evolutionary Co-Leadership: To Evolve a Creative and Responsible Society. Core Leadership Development. eBook.
Gauthier, A. & Veltrop, B. (2018). What is a generative Alliance and How does it work?
Unpublished white paper.
Morgan, D., Ingle, M., Shinn, C. (2019). New Public Leadership. New York: Routledge.
Zola, B. (2016). Five levels of Community Partnerships. Lansing: MSU Extension.