Course summary

Well done on completing this course. Here is a summary of the key ideas from the course. We encourage you to discuss what you have learnt with your team.

“A partnership is a group of interdependent organisations committed to a common purpose who choose to cooperate in order to achieve exceptional results.”

Determining your value for partnership:

• What value your organisation brings to a partnership?
• What value does your organisation seek from potential partners?

Types of partnerships:

Choosing the appropriate partnership type along the continuum depends on an organisation’s specific goals, resources, and the level of commitment it is willing to make. Associations and networks are suitable for short-term projects and knowledge sharing, while coalitions are ideal for addressing common challenges. Strategic alliances are best for achieving mutual growth, while joint ventures and mergers are reserved for situations where deep integration and shared ownership are desired.

Six effective strategic partnerships:

Challenges to partnerships:

• Pace
• Power
• Purpose
• Culture
• Costs
• Commitment
• Staffing
• Schisms
• Systems

Leaders guide questions:

• What value your organisation brings to a partnership?
• What value does your organisation seek from potential partners?
• What type of partnership aligns with your goals, resources and level of commitment?
• Looking at your current partnerships, in which of the six areas of effective partnerships do you fall short? What changes can you make to strengthen this area?