Eight more common mistakes in multi-sector
CSR partnerships
Natural Partnerships – Unnatural
partners. Last week I did a short piece
on five common mistakes in multi-sector CSR partnerships. This week I’m going to finish the list.
If you haven’t read the last article you
may want to go and read the opening paragraphs and the five mistakes. You can find it here
1. Not enough entrepreneurship and innovation
There is generally a high level of
entrepreneurial energy and innovation amongst the partners at the beginning of
a partnership. In many cases they would
not have gotten together to launch the partnership without the innovation and
entrepreneurship of at least one of them.
As time goes by the partnership
activities can become routine and the workers and leaders stop looking for ways
to do things better and/or new areas that they might collaborate on that would
be mutually beneficial.
Over time a stagnation can develop
and energy drains from the partnership.
This can end up killing the partnership itself but more often it simply
makes the partnership much more vulnerable to the impacts of other mistakes.
 |
| Diverse and committed partners collaborating and innovating together can solve complex puzzles |
2. Didn’t get to know each other deep enough
and broad enough
Often partnerships will form
quickly around a specific opportunity.
Partners will see that by collaborating they can advance their interests
and objectives further than they could by working individually.
This can create a euphoria that
tends to generate a forward momentum and the partners don’t take time to get to
know each other well enough or deep enough. This happens at the individual and the
organizational level.
Then when issues arise and
differences emerge they are often seen as surprises and somehow a betrayal of
what was represented at the onset. This
can put a lot of strain on the relationships.
3. Organizational stakeholders didn’t support
it
Every organization has a range of internal
and external stakeholders, many of which have significant influence and
impact. Sometimes a partnership will
develop and create conflict with key stakeholders.
For example, many NGOs rely on individual
and organizational donors for financing and for general support. In some cases the same individuals and
organizations are also writing checks to support advocacy NGOs that are in
direct opposition to either the industry sector, or in some cases the actual
partner (this can often happen where an industry partner has multiple projects,
some of which are actively opposed by advocacy organizations)
This places leadership in uncomfortable
positions and may result in the need to make hard choices if agreeing to
disagree isn’t a viable option.
Similar situations can occur when
development agencies begin to develop mechanisms that either enable direct
funding of industry led CSR projects or that will facilitate or partner with
such projects.
These development agencies often have key
stakeholders that may be generally opposed to certain industries like
extractives, or have unrealistic social performance expectations. In many cases the development agency will
also be providing direct or indirect support to the opposing organization.
Internal support and understanding is
critical if an organization wants to be a strong partner
(see Seven proven strategies for getting
colleagues onboard with CSR http://bit.ly/7internalbestpractices)
4. NGOs look at company as just a set of
deep-pockets
A deep and nuanced understanding
of the other partners is so critical.
Too often as the euphoria of the early days wears off deep seated,
underlying assumptions and perspectives emerge that can be poisonous.
Partners (individuals and the institutions)
forget that all partners are in the project because there is something in it
for them.
NGOs can start to perceive
corporate partners as just a set of deep pockets, of money that should just be
allocated in support of community and NGO priorities, without a thought for
what’s in it for the company and how to optimize value across all partners and
stakeholders.
5. Company looks at NGO as just a do-gooder
In the same was as NGOs can see
companies as just deep pockets, companies can often develop a perspective that
NGO partners are only interested in doing good works and not understand the
many other interests and realities of a modern NGO
6.
Project
solitudes.
No real collaboration between
partners. If not nurtured project
partners can end up withdrawing, or being relegated to project silos. This can result in each contributing
individually, but can lose all of the potential synergy from the diversity of
experience, perspectives and insights that each bring.
When this happens it can suck the
energy out of a project and be the start of a downward spiral.
It may seem easier to carve things
into discreet silos and minimize collaborative interactions, and the
disagreements, stresses and tensions that can come with them. In the long run it is far better to work
together and get stronger by working through the differences, and staying open
to the synergy that can be found in diversity.
As the African proverb says.
If you want to go fast, go
alone. If you want to go far, go
together.
Good partnerships go far.
7. 7. Unrealistic cost expectations
Cost expectations can be unrealistic.
Companies will sometimes think that NGOs will almost work for free,
forgetting that they too have organizational and institutional overhead that
needs to be covered.
NGOs will sometimes think that companies have tons of money and shouldn’t
be concerned about cost.
8. Different standards around quality,
flexibility / adaptability and reporting
This can be especially true when
small, nimble companies partner with development agencies that have seemingly
incomprehensible sets of reporting and operational requirements.
This can be especially true in
partnerships where one partner comes with compliance requirements and
obligations that are foreign to the other.
Multi-sector CSR partners can bring unique pieces of the
puzzle to the table. They can create value and mitigate risk for all partners,
and benefit society in the process.
Often they can be difficult to create and even more
difficult to maintain, but the effort can be worth it.
I
will be posting more thoughts on this topic in the coming weeks. If you are interested, we are offering a certified
executive training forum in Ottawa, Canada in March see below.
----------------
Advertisement
One week Certified Executive
Training Forum: How to create & manage
CSR/development partnerships between industry, NGOs, development agencies and
governments. March 9-13,
Ottawa, Canada USD$3,495 / $3,195
before Dec 31
This five-day hands-on Certified Executive Training Forum
will leave you ready to develop and implement multi-sector CSR and development
partnerships that will help drive your organization’s success. The program brings together a global group of
executives and managers from industry, NGOs, development agencies and
international organizations to learn with and from each other.
Whether you work with industry, NGOs, development agencies,
international organizations, communities or other group involved in CSR and
develop this program will help you and your organization to succeed
Led by an experienced global faculty with decades of
strategic and ‘in the trenches’
experience in CSR and development partnerships the program will leave you with
the tools and knowledge to be successful in negotiating and managing
multi-sector CSR partnerships. It is
based on a pragmatic blend of lectures,
case studies, group work, strategic simulations and facilitated and spontaneous
group experiences that bridge theory and practice in a pragmatic and effective
way.
For more information on How to create & manage CSR/development partnerships between industry, NGOs, development agencies and governments click here
No comments:
Post a Comment