1. Collaboration
Andrew Talbot 25 May 2018

2. Collaboration – What I’m going to cover today …
What is collaborative working?
What are the benefits?
What are the challenges?
How to overcome these challenges?
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

3. Collaboration Ireland
My Background
Independent partnership and merger support
Legal Adviser CollaborationNI
NICVA, CO3, Stellar Leadership – consortium
Funded by the Building Change Trust
Supported over 125 collaborations between voluntary, community, social enterprise and statutory organisations
Forming alliances, building consortia, supporting mergers
Former corporate, commercial and charity solicitor
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

4. What is collaboration? CONSORTIA & PARTNERSHIPS MERGERS Network Forum
ALLIANCES
CONSORTIA & PARTNERSHIPS
MERGERS
Network
Forum
Alliance
Consortia
Joint Projects
Delivering services together
Sharing Support Services HR
Finance IT
Sharing premises
Group
Structure
Transfer of Undertaking
Transfer to New Charity
‘Gift’
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

5. CONSORTIA & PARTNERSHIPS
Examples …
ALLIANCES
CONSORTIA & PARTNERSHIPS
MERGERS &
GROUP STRUCTURES
Together For You
Rare Diseases Partnership
Long-Term Conditions Alliance
Healthy Living Centres Alliance
Northern Ireland Alcohol and Drugs Alliance
Newry Mourne and Down Strategic Stakeholder Alliance
Ards and North Down Third Sector Forum
Carers Coalition
Aspire Community Partnership
Advice Sector Consortium
Human Rights Partnership
Women’s Sector Consortium
North Fermanagh Valley Partnership
North West Advice Partnership
Fermanagh Community Transport
CDM Community Transport
Early Years & Orana Family Centre
TheatreNI
Newtownabbey & Antrim Citizens Advice
Enable & Step By Step
Craft NI
Action Mental Health & New Life Counselling
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

6. Collaboration Ireland
What are the benefits?
Need a clear strategic rationale
What’s in it for your beneficiaries?
New or better or more sustainable services for beneficiaries
Wider reach geographically
Financial savings
Share support services – IT, HR, Finance
One voice – strength in numbers – influencing
Access funding
New colleagues -share good practice and ideas
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

7. What are the challenges?
Are you clear about your strategic rationale?
Is there an agreed vision?
Is there sufficient impact to justify the effort?
Past history of competition and poor relationships
Poor communication – openness & transparency lacking
Cultural differences
Resistance to change …
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

8. Collaboration Ireland
Resistance to change …
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

9. Collaboration Ireland
Overcoming the challenges of collaboration …. Seven Steps to living happily ever after with your collaboration partner
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

10. Collaboration Ireland
1. Buy-In
Is it a collaboration of the willing/reluctant?
Have all partners bought into the project?
Is it a funder-driven collaboration?
Need to feel listened to
What is in it for me?
What is in it for my beneficiaries?
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

11. Collaboration Ireland
2. Agreed Vision
What is your partnership trying to achieve?
Strategic collaboration – or response to a crisis
Is there a shared goal?
What precisely is the problem that collaboration is the answer to?
Can you paint a picture of what this new future will look like?
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

12. Collaboration Ireland
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather the wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

13. Collaboration Ireland
3. Find the Right Partner
Dating – Getting your mate to ask them out
Have you got plenty in common?
Spend time and money and energy getting to know each other – but still might not work out
You might consider a few organisations before you find the right partner – beauty parade
What if the funder arranges your marriage?
If it’s not working, walk away
Due diligence – find out about your partner before you deepen your commitment
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

14. 4. Focus on Relationships
Organisations don’t collaborate – people do
Key to any successful relationship is good communication
Invest in the long-term relationship
Avoid the temptation to win short-term, short-sighted victories
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

15. Collaboration Ireland
5. Trust
Tricky issue of trust
Openness & transparency
Reliability
The ‘principle of no surprises’
Trust takes time to develop
But can be lost in a moment!
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

16. Collaboration Ireland
6. Negotiate
Deal with the difficult issues early
Politeness is the enemy of collaboration
Listen – and understand the other person’s perspective
Focus on what is in it for your beneficiaries
Give yourself time & space
Consider your red lines
Find a win-win
Find your 18th camel!
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

17. Collaboration Ireland
17 Camels
Eldest son – inherits half
Middle son – inherits one third
Youngest son – inherits one-ninth
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

18. Collaboration Ireland
7. Agree a Good Process
Great collaborations don’t just happen
Need support
Establish a steering group
Bring in independent honest broker support
Agree a process, a timeline and a target completion date
Maintain momentum
Write it down – have an agreement
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

19. Collaboration Ireland
Your plan & reality …
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland

20. Collaboration Ireland
Andrew Talbot Collaboration Ireland T: 0044(78) E:
23 May 2018
Collaboration Ireland