RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
Fostering more productive and rewarding relationships with other bodies.
Government relations
Interfacing with federal, provincial, territorial and local governments and their web of channels and requirements is not easy. Government officials can “talk a different language” and it is important to understand the different jurisdictions and roles. With our vast experience in dealing with government, we can help demystify the web of rules and navigate more easily through government accountability reporting requirements. Similarly, we can work as an intermediary to help identify opportunities for partnerships, grants and contributions and contracts that can benefit your organization.
Stakeholder understanding
Knowing the core beliefs, values, interests and organizational culture of stakeholders can lead to greater understanding and in many cases, stronger relationships and potential partnerships. However, this can be a time-consuming process. As part of our core services, we can offer a dedicated outreach team with connections to stakeholder groups. We can do the initial outreach, brief the leadership team and facilitate productive meetings that deepen mutual understanding.
Partnership brokering
There is an evolving body of knowledge related to effective partnerships, with considerable emphasis on the early stages of exploration and dialogue. Skilled partnership brokers can help organizations identify potential partners and build a strong alliance from the ground up, while avoiding the bigger pitfalls in partnership development. A clear purpose, efficient structures and effective processes need to be developed. An experienced partnership broker can fill that role on a temporary or more long-term basis. We have extensive experience in working with organizations in this capacity.
Multi-sector and cross-cultural collaborations
Multi-sector and cross-cultural collaborations have the potential to address complex issues and bring about transformational change. However, issues can arise from a poor understanding of each others’ core values and ways of working. Successful collaborations celebrate both differences and common ground, address power and resource differences and manage conflict positively. An independent coordinator can fill a project management role while mentoring members in collaboration skills. As with partnership brokering, we are highly skilled in this area. We offer flexible arrangements in our advisory services.