‘Partnership’ is in danger of becoming the new ‘community’ – a helpfully imprecise word we scatter around to make things sound good. These days, so long as you are ‘working’ in partnership’ no one can question your motivations or commitment…. Or is that too cynical?
The more serious point is that the whole of CSR is based on partnership – companies recognising, in John Donne’s classic phrase, that “no man is an iland, intire of it selfe” – or, in more modern parlance, complex problems need out-of-the-box thinking to engineer win-win solutions, with stakeholders working outside their comfort zones.
If genuine partnerships are uncomfortable, challenging and ultimately risky, perhaps that’s why it is so difficult to create truly joint approaches. Too often, people revert to type or self-interest alone: governments cite partnership as code for getting the private sector to pay; business cites partnership as cover for a grossly imbalanced power relationship with local communities. Successful partnerships need to go beyond agreement about common goals and mutual benefits; there needs to be a degree of equality in the process itself.
So these new studies of how to build effective partnerships are very welcome, and arguably long over-due. We’ve been talking about partnerships for two decades or more, with too few good ones to show for it (and too little honest appraisal of ones that don’t work out). One reason is the lack of trusted intermediaries or brokers, without their own axes to grind, to bring together parties who would otherwise not be able to sit and begin a conversation – and then to keep them talking.
Related news
Harnessing the power of partnerships for public good
Cross-sector partnerships to tackle development issues may be hindered by a lack of understanding on the part of development institutions of how to leverage contributions of skills and expertise from the private sector to meet mutual goals, a recent report from the World Economic Forum suggests.
Harnessing Private Sector Capabilities to Meet Public Sector Needs attempts to map out the intersection between the needs of development institutions and the expertise and assets business can provide them with. “Companies have skills and capabilities that can be applied to development”, said Richard Saman, managing director of the World Economic Forum. “Often these capabilities turn out to be more valuable than simply writing a cheque”.
The report is intended as a practical tool that companies, governments and others can use to identify new areas of public-private cooperation in development partnerships. Public-private partnerships to tackle development issues are most likely to succeed, it says, when companies work with local organisations; align their efforts with broader policy frameworks and strategies; and think creatively about how their particular strengths and needs can be applied to meet programme needs.
A new report from the International Business Leaders Forum suggests the contribution of skills and resources may be more constructive that cash donations when tackling disaster relief. Best Intentions, Complex Realities argues that business sector skills are vital to get people back into permanent housing and to regenerate livelihoods. The report highlights that in the case of the 2004 tsunami, cash gifts were not matched by capacity to deliver a long-term economic recovery in the region.
Contact Steve Metcalfe, IBLF 020 7467 3661 www.iblf.org
Learning from experience
IBLF’s Partnering Initiative has launched a new guidebook exploring how case studies can be used to promote the value of partnerships in sustainable development. The Case Study Toolbook provides practical assistance on how case studies can be used to communicate where partnership projects can work and where they have not succeeded. The book aims to:
– make the case for more penetrating and useful partnership case studies
– prompt reflection on the challenges faced by a case study researcher or writer
– provide useful tools for those involved in partnership case study work.
Tesco is working with the Department of Work and Pensions to help people on incapacity benefit get back into full time employment, by developing their skills through work experience. A pilot programme with Jobcentre in Derby will offer people on incapacity benefit work ‘tasters’ at Tesco, as well as guaranteed interviews for permanent jobs. Candidates will continue to receive their benefit payments during work placements.
The government’s Pathways to Work programme will provide further support and training to ensure that participants develop the skills they need to succeed and get back into work permanently. Work and pensions secretary John Hutton said: “Business has a key role in helping us achieve our aspiration of getting one million people off incapacity benefit and into work”. Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Tesco’s director of corporate affairs, said: “We know from talking to our staff and those who were previously unemployed that getting back into work can be a problem for many reasons. We are taking part in this project to help people overcome barriers where they can”. Contact Jenny Sacre, Tesco 01992 644 346 www.tesco.com; Jessica Bates, DWP 020 7238 0762 www.dwp.gov.uk
Joint effort
The government is taking a partnership approach to tackle the crises that the energy sector faces from climate change and a skills shortage, with the establishment of a new public-private body on January 25. The Energy Research Partnership, whose corporate partners include BP, Arup and National Grid, will harness expertise from industry, academia and government to provide strategic direction for the research, development and deployment of energy in the UK. It is co-chaired by Dr Paul Goby, chief executive of E.ON UK and Sir David King, the government’s chief scientist. Contact Jonathan Smith, E.ON UK 024 7642 5741 www.eon-uk.com
Grassroots support
Fundacion Latino Grameen, a partner of the Grameen Institution of Bangladesh, has signed a letter of intent with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to offer micro loans to impoverished people in 48 African countries. The partnership will combine Grameen’s expertise in micro-credit schemes with IFRCRC’s grassroots reach across Africa. Contact Alvaro Sarmiento, Fundacion Latino Grameen, 00 34 609 206 380 www.grameen-info.org
Sustainable seafood boost
Wal-Mart plans to source all of its wild-caught fresh and frozen fish for the North American market from fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, it announced on February 3. Since only a small number of fisheries are certified, Wal-Mart says it may take from three to five years to achieve this goal. Environmental organisations Conservation International and WWF will work with Wal-Mart and its suppliers to improve practices in fisheries that do not already meet MSC standards. The company’s initial target is to label the seafood it already sources from MSC fisheries with the MSC logo.
Meanwhile, Wal-Mart’s UK subsidiary Asda has stopped selling four endangered species of fish. The supermarket says it plans to introduce a sustainably sourced “fish of the month”, and that it is reviewing its policy on sourcing marlin and swordfish. Greenpeace continues to campaign against the company, however, saying it has asked Asda to stop selling 14 of the most destructively fished species, and that the company has consistently refused to change its buying policies. Contact Jo Kuper, Greenpeace 07985 605 510 www.greenpeace.org.uk; Rupert Howes, MSC 07960 958 139 www.msc.org
Microfinance in Ghana
Barclays is piloting a micro-finance initiative for Ghana’s poorest communities, building on the existing concept of ‘susu collection’, one of the oldest forms of banking in Africa. The aims of the project are two-fold – to increase financial inclusion; and at the same time build a market for Barclays in Ghana, where more than three-quarters of the population do not use high street banking, partly due to a lack of access and partly due to a lack of suitable products and services.
Over 4,000 susu collectors already offer basic financial services for poor people, gathering their income and returning it at the end of each month for a small fee. Barclays will provide greater security for this service, by offering bank accounts to 100 susu collectors. The pilot project will also finance loans for the susu collectors’ clients, to help them establish or develop small business ventures. Training on financial issues including credit risk will be provided both to collectors and their clients. If the programme is successful, Barclays will also look to roll it out in other African countries. Contact Michael O’Toole, Barclays 020 7116 6137 www.barclays.co.uk
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