4.1 Why do organisations work in partnership?
The main reason organisations work together is similar to the reasons for creating any team, i.e. that more can be achieved together than individually. This is what Huxham and Vangen (2005) termed collaborative advantage in the partnership context.
However, they also talk about collaborative inertia, where the group’s work slows down more than expected. This is usually because the partnership has not maintained a clear focus on the potential results and has failed to develop a clear vision or to create trust between group members. Organisations may have pursued their own agenda rather than what is best for the partnership.
Working in a multi-organisational team can be difficult: conflict and competition between organisations can persist, and some individuals and organisations may feel their role is not equal to those of other team members.
When it works well, however, partnerships between organisations could include the following benefits:
- developing a shared vision and aims and objectives, in order to deliver an integrated strategy or services better able to meet the needs of service users
- involving a wider range of people and organisations in decision making to ensure a more participative way of working
- improving communication between organisations
- pooling resources such as funding, staffing, equipment, office space, training
- sharing expertise from organisations and individuals working in a similar field
- enabling staff and volunteers from different organisations to encounter different organisational cultures and ways of working, share good practice, and to learn from the experience.
Activity 5 Thinking about partnership working
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