Giving Compass' Take:

• Collaborations between organizations can be difficult when power dynamics are involved. The author outlines clear strategies that will help prevent tension when collaborating. 

• How can collaboration strengthen organizations and their relationships?

• Read about how nonprofits can strengthen their collaborative efforts through creative and strategic partnerships. 

A few weeks ago, the board chair of a great social enterprise called me in distress. A collaboration he had nurtured was in disarray. He’d gotten ahold of an email that called the executive director and staff at his organization “uncollaborative.”

He and I tried to figure out what was going on. We talked through the history of the collaboration and ultimately spotted what we thought could be the root of the problem: a major power shift. His organization had sprung from the partner years earlier. Both were financially healthy, but the “child” was now bigger and stronger than its “parent.” And the parent was feeling threatened.

For me, this experience exemplified the fact that power is the secret sauce of nonprofit collaborations. Great collaborations between organizations achieve more than either organization could achieve by itself. But when nonprofit collaborations don’t talk about power and address the implications of power imbalances openly, each party runs the risk of stumbling into (or contributing to) an ugly, counterproductive situation.

So how do you get the power dynamics right for effective collaboration?

  •  Set clear goals.
  • Recognize each other’s legitimate needs, which may differ.
  • Set clear roles, showing which parties have more power others, and why.

Setting goals, understanding and meeting needs, and clarifying roles are steps collaborative partners need to take to leverage their strengths and compensate for each other’s weaknesses. If your collaboration hits a rough patch and it appears that an uncollaborative partner is causing it, remember: Following the power trail may illuminate the real issue—and point to a solution.

Read the full article about collaborations by Jon Huggett at Stanford Social Innovation Review