A Structured Approach To Effective Partnering
A Structured Approach To Effective Partnering
A Structured Approach To Effective Partnering
to Effective Partnering
Lessons Learned from
Public and Private Sector Leaders
Introduction
The number of partnerships, alliances, and joint ventures has risen in recent years as organizations
try to maintain a competitive advantage in a complex global marketplace.1,2,3 By sharing expertise,
resources, and stakeholders, organizations that partner successfully are able to access new markets,
spur innovation, and achieve greater outcomes.2,4 Partnerships provide additional benefits when
used as a marketing or communication tool for stakeholders, with more recognizable partners
publicizing the causes of lesser known entities.5 Recognizing the many benefits of collaboration,
organizations are investing more resources in partnerships than ever before.6
The potential for greater realized returns through partnership does not come without risk; recent
studies have shown that partnerships have a modest 50% success rate.1,7 Many partnerships fail due
to lack of organizational investment, insufficient leadership commitment, and few dedicated
resources.6,7 These hurdles are further exacerbated by complications such as undefined roles and
responsibilities, poorly aligned capabilities, and cultural
differences.6,9 A structured approach to managing
What is a partnership program?
these risks is essential, given the large investment of
A partnership program is an office or
time and resources required to manage partnerships.
team tasked with managing and
coordinating partnerships for an
Comprehensive partnership programs address many
entire
organization.
Partnership
collaboration challenges through visible leadership,
programs create processes, policies,
coordination, and evaluation of partner activities.6,9
materials, and other support tools
Leadership commitment to partnering establishes the
required to manage partnerships.
importance of engaging external groups.9 Alignment of
partner activities to prioritized strategic initiatives
ensures that partners with the right capabilities to advance the mission are included.10 Dedicated
program staff manage the entire partnership portfolio, providing a seamless experience for partners
regardless of the individual project. Standardized processes structure partner engagements from the
outset, enabling staff from both organizations to concentrate on achieving stated goals.7
To develop a structured, strategic approach to successfully engaging partners, we spoke with
partnership program managers from seventeen public and private sector organizations that exhibit
best partnership practices. The program managers were asked a series of questions about critical
success factors for initiating, managing, and sustaining partnerships. Their responses serve as the
basis for this paper, which also incorporates academic and industry research to provide an actionable
framework for developing a partnership program.
Program resources, including staff quantity, training initiatives that may be needed, required policies
and procedures, and other support tools are also included in the plan. At this stage, evaluation
criteria for the program should also be determined, as well a process for collecting and
communicating program successes to internal and external audiences.
Forums for sharing capabilities and priorities were cited as an important tool for expanding existing
partnership activities. Additional resources used to drive cross-partner collaboration included online
partner forums, in-person program reviews, conference presentations, and association meetings. The
use of virtual collaboration tools has expanded to combat rising travel costs.
TIP Visible Leadership Access to leadership demonstrates significance to staff and outside partners.
Partnership contributions should be discussed, recognized, and valued at the highest levels.
During the initial stages, partner numbers generally grow slowly due to lack of awareness within the
community or interest within the organization. Some organizations never move past this phase and
mostly engage within their stakeholder network. The number of partnerships grows at a faster rate
once organizations are comfortable working with others and making concerted efforts to collaborate.
Early efforts should be focused on volume if the goal is to reach capacity quickly, but some programs
take a more measured approach that reduces the rate of expansion in the interest of overall quality.
TIP Quality vs. Quantity It takes time to build trust and give each partner the attention they deserve.
Know your limits when taking on additional partners to avoid losing existing relationships.
The total number of partners plateaus after reaching resource capacity, though short-term increases
may still occur around strategic projects or campaigns. At this point, programs should reevaluate
existing partners to better align their portfolio of partnership activities with stated strategic goals.
Mature partner organizations benefit from selectivity by focusing on those partners that introduce
unique skills, resources, or stakeholders to the larger partner portfolio.
Staff skillsets required to manage partnerships also change over time as partnership programs
mature. Initially, programs need to cultivate business development skills to become more efficient
and effective in initiating individual partner relationships to grow program volume. As programs
reach partner capacity, a greater emphasis should be placed on relationship management skills to
maintain and expand existing partnerships. Recognizing this shift in relationship management
activities enables partnership programs to adjust staff skillsets over time through training or hiring.
Conclusion
Successful partnership programs can reduce the risk of partnership failure by providing a structured,
strategic approach to partnering. Tangible resources such as funding, staff, and training demonstrate
a clear commitment to partnerships within an organization. A partner-seeking culture promotes
identification of collaborative opportunities and freedom to engage new and existing partners.
Tailored marketing materials communicate organizational value and past successes to attract new
partners. Partnerships are evaluated on an ongoing basis in terms of both achieved outcomes and
degree of cultural fit.
Successful partnering organizations position themselves as a partner-of-choice to promote
competition among potential partners for both new and existing opportunities. This ensures their
partnership portfolio includes a mix of organizations that are aligned with the strategic activities that
best advance the mission. Over time, resources and skill sets are adjusted to match the changing
nature of the maturing program.
As partnerships continue to grow in prevalence, those organizations that structure their approach to
make the engagement process seem easy, understandable, and valuable to partners will attract more
partners and realize the full potential of collaboration.
Key Takeaways
A partnership program provides a structured, strategic approach for engaging
in partnering activities, eliminating common partnership missteps.
Partnership activities and projects should advance strategic objectives.
Leadership commitment, dedicated resources, and staff training are critical
elements to program success.
A culture of partnerships encourages staff to recognize collaboration
opportunities whenever they arise.
Marketing materials should be tailored to appeal to individual partners.
Discussions with current and potential partners about capabilities and
ongoing projects can lead to additional partnering engagements.
Provide all staff with talking points so that they may serve as program
ambassadors at any event.
Set engagement rules and expectations at the beginning of the project.
Quick wins build trust and generate momentum across the partnership
community, leading to additional partnership engagements.
Evaluate partners based on project outcomes resulting from engagements.
Communicate partner successes to attract new partners.
Over time, program resources and staff skill sets must be adjusted from a
business development to a relationship management focus to match the
needs of a maturing program.
Research Methodology
To develop a structured, strategic approach to successfully engaging partners, we spoke with
representatives from organizations that exhibit best partnership practices. Candidates for interview
were identified through research and discussions with existing Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention partners. The final list of organizations included a mix of federal agencies, private sector
businesses, and non-profit groups seen as effective in their partnership approach. A total of nine
non-governmental organizations were interviewed, in accordance with Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) guidelines. All interviewees were partnership or
program leads with first-hand knowledge of their organizations partnering strategy and activities.
Using the interview guide reproduced below, program managers were asked a series of questions
about incorporating partnerships into an organizations strategy, determining and communicating
value, and engaging individual partners. Interviewee responses, along with academic and industry
research, were used to develop a partnership program development framework.
Sources
1
Gonzalez, M. Strategic Alliances: The Right Way to Compete in the 21st Century. Ivey
Business Journal. Sep/Oct 2001.
Googins, Bradley K. and Rochlin, Steven A. Creating the Partnership Society: Understanding
the Rhetoric and Reality of Cross-Sectoral Partnerships. Business and Society Review, Volume
105, 1: 127144. Spring 2000.
A Study on Partnerships Conducted by ASAE. Center for Association Leadership, Feb 2012.
Weiss, E. S., Miller Anderson, R., and Lasker, R. D. Making the Most of Collaboration: Exploring
the Relationship between Partnership Synergy and Partnership Functioning. Health Education
& Behavior, Vol. 29, 6: 683-698. Dec 2002.
The Third State of Alliance Management Study. CISCO, United Nations University, and the
Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals. 2009.
10
10
This paper was developed by the Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation
(OPPE), Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Angela Schwartz, MBA
Associate Director Policy, Planning, and Evaluation
Serena Vinter, MHS
Partnership Team Lead
Authors
Amy Hoying, MBA
Nikita Sambourskiy
Brian Sanders, MBA
Other Contributors
Rachel Ann-Akinyi Johnson, MPH
Seth Kroop, MPA
Diana Yassanye, MSeD