THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PARTNERING (G081)

Complete List > The Art and Science of Partnering

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Partnerships, also known as collaborative arrangements, are a powerful tool for increasing program or project impact and scale, while also serving as a means to leverage additional resources and facilitate innovation.

• Having a 'collaborative advantage' or being known as a 'good partner' has become a key corporate asset.
• Having a well-developed ability to create and sustain fruitful collaboration gives an organization a significant, competitive leg-up.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

• What partnering is and what it can achieve
• How to prepare yourself and your organization to be an effective and successful partner.
• How to develop a logical approach to the partnering cycle: the decision to partner; identifying stakeholders and potential partners; finding alignment and compatibility of values and ethics; choosing the right partner; the partnering agreement; governance structure and operational management of partnering; results reporting and evaluation
• Developing the partnering business case: Why partner? How to identify partnering opportunities and potential in your program or activity? What is the art of the possible? What is the value proposition?
• How to work through the Government of Canada labyrinth of policies and procedures related to collaboration
• How to balance innovation with sound stewardship and negotiate, plan and manage partnering to meet accountability requirements and risks
• Good partnering skills and behavior: How to manage the relationship, not just the deal. How to engage and manage differences and conflict, and to do so constructively, understanding the inevitability and indeed the value of conflict
• Partnering lifecycle, the phases of an alliance and the unique challenges and best practices of each, including measuring success: methods and approaches to score carding and metrics pegged not only to alliance goals but also to alliance progress
• Learning from others: Partnering case studies and best practices from the public, non profit and private sectors
• How to overcome your challenges and build your partnerships. Using a specific example in your organization, the course will include one two- hour coaching session for each participant within two months following the course

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY?

• Workbook with checklists
• Exercises and handouts

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMPETENCIES

• Thinking Things Through: Innovating through analysis and ideas
• Engagement: Working effectively with people, organizations and partners
• Excellence: Delivering results
• http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tal/kcl/ekl-eng.asp

Agenda Day 1
8:45 - 9:15	Participant Introductions and Workshop Overview
9:15 - 10:30	Partnering Basics What is partnering and what can it achieve? What does it mean in a public sector context? Differences between the public, non-profit and private sectors. Introduction to the main issues and challenges for public servants: balancing innovation with sound stewardship. Government of Canada policy and guidelines. Public Service Values and Ethics. Partnering and communications - roles and responsibilities Mini-exercise
10:30 - 10:45	Break
10:45 - 12:00	Figures in the Government of Canada Partnering Landscape: Trends and essential best practices as illustrated by four mini-case studies involving the public, private and non profit sectors. Mini-exercise
12:00 - 13:00	Lunch
13:00 - 14:45	Success Factors for Partnering: How to balance conventional partnering advice, i.e., choosing the right partner; creating a solid business plan, partnering agreement; governance structure and operational management of partnering; results reporting and evaluation metrics, with five counter-intuitive practices to develop and sustain partnering impact. Mini-exercise
14:45 - 15:00	Break
15:00 - 16:30	The Partnering Cycle - Overview Partnering as a form of program delivery. Essential steps. Key implementation issues. Preparing to Partner, Scoping and Building; Managing and Maintaining; Reviewing and Revising; Sustaining Outcomes. Group Exercise
16:30 - 16:45	Wrap-up and Q & As

Agenda Day 2
8:45 - 9:00	Day One Review
9:00 - 10:30	Preparing to Partner Have your 'strategic act' together before partnering. Avoid the READY, FIRE, AIM SYNDROME in your partnering activities. What you and your organization can do to become partnering-ready for success. Mini-exercise
10:30 - 10:45	Break
10:45 - 12:00	Building the Case for Partnering Is partnering the right way to go? How to identify partnering opportunities and potential stakeholders for your program or activity? What is the art of the possible? A discussion of the fundamental considerations that underpin every partnering decision: strategic value and structural elements. Determining Strategic Value through an analysis of Mandate, Ethics, Risks and Value Proposition (MERV). Making sure it works by assessing Ownership and Governance, Degree of Engagement and Capacity to Evaluate. Group Exercise
12:00 - 13:00	Lunch
13:00 - 14:45	Scoping and Building Building partnering arrangements. How to approach potential partners and negotiate and plan collaborative arrangements to meet accountability requirements and risks. Mini-exercise
14:45 - 15:00	Break
15:00 - 16:30	Managing and Maintaining Partnering Arrangements - How to manage the Relationship, not just the Deal. Alliances pose special challenges that make traditional management practices only part of the mix for success. In order to bolster partnering impact, there needs to be greater focus on the alliance working relationship and, rather than suppressing disagreements, exploring conflicts to find sources of value in partner differences. Group activity
16:30 - 16:45	Wrap-up and Workshop Evaluation Participants will complete a short evaluation