How we work in partnership is often different from how we work in a single organisation. Our organisational culture and language can help or hinder collaboration. A new partnership often needs new types of working models with shared responsibility, shared risks, shared communication, new systems of decision making. At the heart of a successful partnership is a set of shared values and, importantly, the ability to build and develop relationships The Herts Compact Forum discussed what good partnership meant to them, and what values we wanted to have in Hertfordshire. The forum groups chose their top 3 values and also the 3 obstacles that could get in the way.

1. Partnership working
1. What does good partnership
working look like in Herts?
2. What could get in the way?

2. What does good
partnership look like in
Hertfordshire?
😊
Your top 3 partnership values
(1 of 2 slides)
1. Vision
2. Values
3. Agreement
1. Full buy in from all sides
2. Believe in the project / common goals / achieving mutual
value
3. Honesty leading to Trust
1. Trust – acknowledgement + understanding of different
approaches
2. Willingness to be open minded and mindful of constraints.
Open to sharing problems
3. Build up healthy relationships / Supporting each other
1. Keep focused on common goal
2. Agreed protocols, not lip service
3. Value given – respect for differences

3. What does good partnership
look like in Hertfordshire?
😊
Your top 3 partnership values (2 of 2
slides)
1. Shared and clear vision / Shared values
2. Mutual respect / Mutually beneficial
3. Personalities / Money
1. A willingness to think differently e.g. charities to think like
businesses; businesses to be driven by social principles. Up
for innovation, compromise, move from original thinking
2. Negotiation skills – willingness to think about the other
parties’ principles and priorities
3. Building on momentum of positive partnership, small
projects can build to big ones. Establish clear lines early.
1. Inspired vision about service – exciting
2. Good communication (e.g. a mascot)
3. Voluntary – community / case study

4. What Obstacles could
get in the way? 😟
Forum feedback - top 3
obstacles (1 of 2 slides)
1. Sustainability
2. Organisational egos
3. Poor leadership
1. Command and control – inhibits organic growth and
innovation / creativity
2. Lack of trust – eg not to air differences early but waiting
until it becomes a ‘big’ issue
1. Personalities / Culture
2. Lack of methodology to get to the truth
3. Not recognising important constraints
1. Personalities
2. Unbalanced effort
3. Money!
4. Different priorities

5. What Obstacles could
get in the way? 😟
Forum feedback - top 3
obstacles (2 of 2 slides)
1. Deeply help principles making compromise difficult
2. Practicalities eg information sharing / consent
3. Working through the detail of shared vision
Thinking beyond what was done before
Taking time to spot future problems
Risk taking in all of this
1. Stakeholder consensus e.g. primary leads. Hearts and
minds. Buy in.
2. Lose sponsorship (Governance)
3. Keeping it free (Parkrun)
1. Outside influences may create tensions
2. Homogenous culture / Leave baggage at home
3. Change in partnership members