Selecting partners for influencing a change

Partnerships are critical for creating system change. Identifying and prioritising strategically aligned and capable organisations for partnership is fundamental to progress towards systemic change.

The partnership building process

Partnership building is a meandering process. Identifying and selecting requires a thoughtful process, appropriate tools, sector/industry intelligence and specialised skills. Below is a generic process which is extracted from best practices for scoping and selecting partnerships.

1. Develop a scoping plan plan. Partner scoping is should not be random exercise rather it should be connected with organisational strategy and purpose. It should always start deep internal exercises/discussion to clearly determine the partnership context. In this process you can look at organisational strategy, programs/projects, partnership needs (areas where partnership is required) to achieve the organisational strategy and purpose. Then define the scope of the work, and determine the timeline and budget.

2. Identify potential partners: Start by researching companies that offer services or products that complement your own. Look for organization that have a shared purpose, similar interests, products, services or programs.

3. Develop a list of potential partners: Once you have identified potential partners, create a list of them. Include contact information, such as their website, email address, and contact details

4. Do additional research through secondary sources and meeting potential partners: Develop a list of criteria to evaluate potential partners and use it to narrow down the list of potential partners. To conduct additional research review domain and sector reports and white papers to gain a better understanding of the operational environment and the landscape and the position of various actors. You can reach out to industry experts and thought leaders to gain insights into the the environment and potential partnerships. Schedule meetings with potential partners to explore further alignment and see interest.

5. Map and assess your potential partners: To select strategically aligned partners, various approaches and tools can be used to map potential actors. It will depend on the context of the partnership and the types of partnerships the organization is interested in. One of the tools we use in selection of selection of the partners in market systems development programs is Partner Mapping Matrix .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 the capacity and will of an organization on two axes. The capacity axis measures the organization's ability to achieve the desired outcome, while the will axis measures the organization's commitment to achieving the desired outcome. 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. Organization with low WILL towards achieving your organization’s intended outcomes would not be an idea partner even if their capacity 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 partnership.

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

The Capacity-Will matrix can be used to identify areas of strength and weakness of potential partner organizations to prioritize your partnership and engagement activities.

Capacity-Will Matrix

6. Move forward and Negotiate terms: Once you conclude and finalize a list of actors to partner, explain why them why a partnership would be beneficial and how it could benefit both parties. Then negotiate the terms of the partnership.

7. Finalize the partnership: Once you have agreed on the terms of the partnership, finalize the agreement. This could include signing a contract, creating a memorandum of understanding or any other structure for partnerships.

Interested in partnership support?

At Praxsys we provide partnership building support to public, private and non-profit organisations. Please reach out to us if you need support strategic partnership support for your company or organisation.