1. Multi-stakeholder Partnerships
Menka Sanghvi | Reos Partners | Aug 16, 2012
Campaigns and Advocacy Leadership Program, Oxfam GB
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2. Areas To Explore:
1. Why take a multi-stakeholder approach?
2. What are key challenges?
3. When is a multi-stakeholder approach not suitable?
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3. 1. Why Take a Multi-stakeholder Approach?
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4. Engaging Diverse Heads, Hearts and Hands
Diversity - Why is that so valuable?
Innovation and creativity
Tackling challenges where the solution is unknown
Creating systemic changes
Making a lasting impact
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5. Innovation – Breaking up “Group Think”
A group of diverse people with different ideas are more likely to be open to
new ideas and more likely to find the right solution for the problem they are
collectively trying to solve. It is a sharp antidote to “group think”.
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6. Complex Challenges – Technical vs. Adaptive
Sending a rocket to the
moon – example of a
technical challenge.
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7. Systemic Ambitions
Working at a systemic level means tackling the root of the problems not just the
symptoms. This is extremely difficult. However bringing together diverse people
from across the system gives the group an ability to perceive the challenges
clearly - “systems sight”.
Systems sight -> Systems actions -> Systems change
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8. Lasting Impact
Diverse groups have more agency and resilience.
Why?
Implementing solutions need a wide range of political and social capital.
Diverse groups are more likely to have diverse relationships in place into
diverse communities.
Solutions are therefore more likely to “stick”.
There is a reduced likelihood of the system reverting back to its original state
once the collaboration work is over.
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9. 2. What Are The Key Challenges?
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10. Common Areas
Challenges:
Lack of clarity on common purpose or intention
Not having the tough conversations needed
Imbalance in power & lack of shared ownership
Accountability gaps in the roles and responsibilities
Having the right people on board throughout the journey
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11. Clarity of Common Purpose
 When two or more organisations collaboration, they often rush in without
clarifying the common purpose precisely.
 Many organisations are not fully clear about their own purpose, which
makes it difficult to collaborate effectively.
Questions:
 If there are more than one goal, are they equally important to everyone?
How will decisions be made about trade-offs?
 What is the shared theory of change connecting the different aspects of
the work?
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12. Having Tough Conversations
Often collaborations begin with a honeymoon phase, with strong mutual interest
and high hopes. However this is the time to have really tough conversations
about what exactly each partner is bringing to the table, where their skills lie,
and what they are weak at. May need external facilitation.
"Politeness is the poison of collaboration."
-Edwin Land
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13. Example of Korean Airlines
From 1988 to 1998 Korean Airlines had a crash rate 17 times higher than
others like American Airlines.
. Problem was not mechanical –
it was cultural
Cockpit crew were too polite to
question authority figures directly
when they noticed something
wrong
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14. Being Aware of Power Dynamics
All stakeholders need to take responsibility for developing awareness
of power dynamics, and make changes where necessary, to create
openness and transparency and create a sense of shared ownership.
Funding has a important impact on the relationships.
What behaviours does the funding incentivise…?
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15. Accountability Gaps
“Few things in life are less efficient
than a group of people trying to write a
sentence. The advantage of this method
is that you end up with something for
which you will not be personally
blamed.”
- Scott Adams, Dilbert
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16. Having Buy-In from the Right People
In theory:
Multi-stakeholder partnerships are usually between organisations. To make
the most of the comparative advantages, the multi-stakeholder group needs to
leverage different skills, networks and resources from each organisation.
In reality:
•There is often a lack of buy-in from individuals outside the immediate
partnership work. Inter-organisational silos and barriers exist.
•Or there is as a change in leadership of the organisation and this impacts the
level of participation of one member organisation in the group.
•Conversely multi-stakeholder relationships might be forged at senior levels
but commitment is not shared at middle management.
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17. 3. When is Multi-Stakeholder Approach Not Suitable?
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18. If The Problem Can Be Solved In-House
Honest assessment:
If you can do the work effectively alone, then don’t collaborate.
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19. When The Right Inputs Are Missing
(or being underestimated)
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20. Questions?
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