Building Strategic Partnerships for Systemic Change

Complex development challenges like poverty, malnutrition, climate change, and food insecurity arise not from isolated failures, but from underperforming socio-economic systems. These systems are complex, adaptive, and shaped by diverse actors with differing incentives, capacities, and constraints. No single actor, not government, not business, not civil society, can shift these systems alone. That's why partnerships are not just helpful but essential in Market Systems Development.

Take, for example, women's exclusion from employment opportunities. This is not simply a matter of poor access or discrimination; it is often a product of entrenched social norms, weak support functions (such as childcare or transport), missing or misaligned rules (such as labor policies or hiring practices), and business models that haven’t adapted to inclusive workforce strategies. A direct solution, such as vocational training or livelihood support, may temporarily plug a gap, but without shifting the underlying structures and incentives of the system, the change won’t stick.

Why Partnerships Matter for Systemic Change?

Partnerships are not just a mechanism for project delivery. In systemic work, they are a strategic lever, a way to connect, align, and mobilize different capacities and resources around a shared vision of change.

Consider the example of women’s exclusion from employment. This is not only a problem of access or discrimination—it reflects systemic issues: entrenched social norms, weak support infrastructure (like childcare or transport), and labor rules that reinforce exclusion. Training or livelihood programs might help some women in the short term, but unless the underlying system structures shift, the impact won't sustain or scale.

Strategic partnerships enable different actors, states, businesses, civil society, and communities to co-create alternatives, test new models, and challenge the status quo together. As the African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

A single actor can influence a system, but only if they are connected. Effective partnerships amplify this influence by enabling:

• Demonstration of new models that challenge existing ways of doing things.

• Legitimization of alternative practices, values, or norms.

• Coordination of efforts across siloed sectors or institutions.

• Connection between local innovation and policy reform.

• Shared ownership of change, which is vital for long-term sustainability.

The partnership-building process

Building impactful partnerships for systems change is not a linear exercise. It’s exploratory, iterative, and political. Yet a structured approach helps ensure clarity and focus. Here is a framework adapted from good practices:

1. Define Your Partnership Context

Begin internally: What systems are you trying to shift? Where are the leverage points? Which functions or dynamics need to change? Define the role partnerships will play in your broader change strategy.

2. Scan for Potential Allies

Look beyond the usual suspects. Who is already doing relevant work? Who holds influence, formally or informally? Who might benefit from system change, and who might resist?

3. Shortlist and Research

Develop a long list of potential partners. Research their goals, capacities, values, and track record. Reach out for exploratory conversations. Look for alignment in purpose, not just overlapping activities.

4. Map and Potential Partners

To select strategically aligned partners, various approaches and tools can be used to map potential actors. It will depend on the partnership's context and the types of partnerships the organization is interested in. One of the tools we use in selecting partners for market systems development programs is the Partner Mapping Matrix. Map potential partners based on:

• Capacity to act, influence, and commit resources.

• Will to align with transformative goals and adapt practices.

This helps you prioritize those with both potential and alignment. The matrix is used to assess the capacity and will of potential partners to achieve a desired outcome. It is a two-dimensional matrix that plots an organization's capacity and will on two axes. The capacity axis measures the organization's ability to achieve the desired outcome, while the will axis measures its commitment to doing so. The matrix is divided into four quadrants, each representing a different level of capacity and will.

The four quadrants are: High Capacity/High Will, High Capacity/Low Will, Low Capacity/High Will, and Low Capacity/Low Will.

• High Capacity/High Will: This quadrant represents an organization that has both the capacity and the will to achieve the desired outcome. These would be the ideal actors to work with.

• High Capacity/Low Will: This quadrant represents an organization that has the capacity to achieve the desired outcome, but lacks the will to do so. Low Capacity/High Will: This quadrant represents an organization that has the will to achieve the desired outcome, but lacks the capacity to do so. An organization with low WILL towards achieving its intended outcomes would not be an ideal partner, even if its capacity is high.

• Low Capacity/Low Will: This quadrant represents an organization that lacks both the capacity and the will to achieve the desired outcome. You can screen out such actors from a partnership.

• Low Capacity/High Will: This quadrant represents an organization that lacks capacity but has a high will to work toward the desired outcome. If your organization has the resources to capacitate the organization, it can be a good partner.

The Capacity-Will matrix can be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of potential partner organizations to prioritize your partnership and engagement activities.

Capacity-Will Matrix

5. Explore and Co-Create

Once you conclude and finalize a list of actors to partner with, explain to them why a partnership would be beneficial and how it could benefit both parties. The next step is to engage in dialogue with the prioritized partners. Surface assumptions. Identify shared interests and areas of divergence. Effective partnerships are co-designed, not pre-packaged.

6. Structure and Commit

Once aligned, define roles and expectations. Use agreements, or informal accords, tailored to the context. Keep structures flexible enough to adapt as the system evolves.

The Power of Aligned Partnerships

Transformative change happens when actors see themselves in the solution, not just as beneficiaries or implementers. Strategic partnerships, built on trust, shared vision, and adaptive learning, can unlock system-level shifts that no one actor could achieve alone.

Whether you're working in agriculture, health, education, employment, governance, or climate resilience, the quality of your partnerships often determines the depth and durability of your impact.

Need Support?

At Praxsys, we work with public, private, and non-profit organizations to scope, structure, and strengthen partnerships that drive systems change. From local coalitions to cross-sector alliances, we help align vision, strategy, and facilitation capacity.