The Enabling State: Collaborating for Success www.fco.gov.uk The Enabling State: Contents Collaborating for Success Report for the FCO into The views expressed in this publication are those Collaboration and Partnership of the individual contributors and should not Summary 4 be read or interpreted as statements of Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) or Foreign and Lucian J. Hudson Commonwealth Office (FCO) policy. Nothing Special Assignment, FCO (July-October 2008) Acknowledgements 9 contained herein should be considered as giving (Report updated at Ministry of Justice, June rise to any legitimate expectation that HMG or 2009, after Whitehall consultation) FCO will take any action or adopt a particular Introduction 12 position. Copyright 2009 by Lucian J. Hudson. All rights reserved. Chapter 1: Understanding collaboration 23 For further inquires, contact: (Appendix Thomas-Killman Conflict Mode Instrument) [email protected] Designed by: Rod Crowhurst, Chapter 2: Effective collaboration 49 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Part 1 An approach to building collaboration 50 Crowd image supplied by Getty Images Part 2 Steps to take, and model to develop relationships 68 The text in this publication (excluding the Royal Arms or departmental logos) may be reproduced Part 3 Common challenges 92 free of charge in any format or medium providing it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must Chapter 3: Collaboration and its impact on organizations 114 be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the (Appendix Collaborative Partnerships Model) title and author of the source document specified. Chapter 4: Social collaboration: how it can work 140 Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders Chapter 5: Collaboration and its implementation 175 concerned. Any enquiries relating to the copyright in this Notes/References/Bibliography 217 document should be addressed to the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI), Information Policy Team, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU or Appendix: Compendium of Case Studies 235 e-mail: [email protected] Appendix: Survey 257 Available online at: www.fco.gov.uk/pdpublication Appendix: Risk and Regulation 260 Appendix: Naked Generations 267 Appendix: Group Relations 279 3 Summary This report is both a The big prize is better performance Anger and dissatisfaction with comprehensive account of and better governance: making savings institutions must at some point give through synergies, and involving the way to a more honest relationship what makes for effective people most affected to feel part of the and a shared sense of renewal. If collaboration and partnership decision-making process, owning the governments are to reconnect with between and within changes rather having them imposed. their citizens, they must focus both If regulation is ultimately about how on what their policies are designed organizations, and a systems connect, and become to achieve and how those policies are contribution to the debate self-supporting, this report argues implemented. This means effective about how at a time of that no changes in regulation will engagement with the issues and with pressure on resources, work unless we have also taken others. into account the human side of governments, business and collaboration. Whatever policies are An enabling state collaborates for NGOs can do better for less. in place, the tough challenges that we success. Efficiency, effectiveness and Collaboration is a simple idea, face - climate change, fighting diseases engagement are inextricably linked. such AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria - Working to a common end which no yet it is often much more require institutions and citizens to work one person or organization can achieve difficult in practice. together. alone, collaboration requires advanced leadership and team-working skills and Policy-makers need a framework in a change of attitude. We need to get which independence, interdependence much better at building collaboration and dependence all co-exist, and have a and making partnerships work. The part to play, or we risk tackling only part growing global role of the East only of the problem, and ignoring how the serves to remind many in the West how rest of the system responds, and acts much many Asian cultures are built on on its own. A holistic approach is not the importance of relationships and the just about seeing how a whole system value put on trust and reciprocity. functions, but also about how each of its parts interacts, and generates new Collaboration does not offer magic problems and solutions, and how solutions and is often tough-going. But one system interacts with another. if done for the right reasons and in the Organizations now have to respond right way, it can open up possibilities to that reality rather than work on their and deliver breakthroughs which own. The thinking and case examples traditional means of planning and in this report plug the gap between control cannot produce. the rhetoric of closer collaboration and what it takes to make it real. Collaboration begets collaboration. There is a proverb used in reconciliation efforts in Rwanda: “to go fast, walk alone; to go far, walk together”. In an 4 5 interconnected world, it gives us more 2. Collaboration works. But it can work to tackle them do not exist but partnerships and successfully implement choice in how we tackle apparently so much better if we treat it explicitly because the political will and public strategy. Spelt out are the approaches, intractable challenges because it tries to as a resource in which we invest time engagement are not there to make steps and techniques, particularly the tap more of the ideas, aspirations and and energy and if we deal with the the changes. Markets and hierarchies relationship model and combining trust concerns that are critical to successful complexities of working in have their place but we need also to and task. delivery. In so doing, it builds legitimacy collaboration. Our investment in create and support collaborative and commitment, and generates collaboration should carry a return working on issues that bring Key to success is value-focused options. Whether the initiative begins for all those who contribute to it. sectors, organizations and citizens collaboration, and understanding what at the top or on the front line, It has costs, including opportunity together. Leadership is not enough; value means to different people. collaboration makes it possible to costs, but thinking strategically collaboration of all involved is also When tensions are transformed into weave together different contributions. about collaboration makes better needed. Collaboration helps us to opportunities, what makes collaboration Power comes through effective use of resources in both the short explore issues of power and explore difficult is made easier and therefore interaction rather than from who and long term. Collaboration allows differing agendas and intended more possible. This involves being firm operates which lever. The secret of us to handle complex, fast-changing outcomes. about some things (such as ends) yet effective leadership is to use one’s and emergent situations in which flexible about others (such as means). strengths while not crowding out the we can build intentions with limited Report structure strengths of other people and to create knowledge, respond to unintended Leaders have a crucial responsibility the conditions in which responsibility consequences and implement Chapter 1: to develop meaningful conversations. and credit are shared. learning as it happens. Understanding collaboration The hallmark of an “appreciative conversation” is that people listen Key Conclusions 3. Collaboration changes the game. Defines what collaboration is and the without judgment, not seeking It can produce possibilities that part it plays for governments, business consensus or compromise but sharing 1. Collaboration is both prevalent and cannot be delivered by conflict and and NGOs. the sole purpose of continuing the pervasive. It is becoming increasingly negotiation. But we need to exploit conversation in order to sustain important as organizations work with what is changing and dynamic in Successful collaboration integrates relationships of mutual respect. others to build together what they situations rather than impose our common purpose, participation, cannot achieve alone. The quality of own assumptions if we are to tap resources, teamwork and group Chapter 3: collaboration and partnerships varies the potential of others’ contributions. dynamics. It works with difference Collaboration and its impact on greatly, whether in the private, public Collaboration can be with a narrow (it is something less than complete organizations or non-profit sector. We are missing group or a wider network or sets of integration or unification) and opportunities all the time. We networks. It can be scaled to fit the commonality (there is some shared Analyses what collaboration means use collaboration as part of nature of the challenge that needs goal which is the focus of for decision-making, group dynamics implementation when we could to be tackled. collaboration). and organizational development. also use it more strategically and With QinetiQ and others, develops involve others in the very definition 4. Collaboration changes how people Chapter 2: a collaborative partnership model to of the problem we seek to solve. and societies develop.