Establishing Partnerships
Partnership Life Cycles
Partnerships have certain life cycles. From the exciting birth of a partnership to the satisfaction that comes from seeing real outcomes emerge from teamwork, community partnerships are constantly changing. No matter at what stage you find yourself now, your partnership can have a stronger future if you become aware of where youve come from and where youre likely to be going. Understanding the maturation process through all stages of the life cycle can help partnerships become more deliberate about their best opportunities for making strong progress in each stage of their growth. 23
Stage One: Discussions
In this stage, organizations initiate discussions based on common interests.
Stage Two: Birth
If they can align themselves, they will form a partnership and document the relationship in some manner.
Stage Three: Growth
Once the partnership begins to exist, there is growth as policies and procedures are outlined and goals are structured.
Stage Four: Maturity
Next, the maturity stage marks when the partnership gets to work and aims to complete its agenda.
Stage Five: Expansion
After a period of growth and maturity, there is often some expansion as partners evolve in a flexible manner. While the goals may not expand, the relationships do as partners learn more about each other and compensate for each other so that they continue to be effective.
Stage Six: Effectiveness
Here, partnerships enter the sustainable stage where you must critically evaluate the successes to date and the ability to maintain the partnership. Potential sustainability will lead back to Stage Two discussions, the lack thereof will lead to eventual death and disintegration of the partnership.
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Questions and Answers About Partnership Life Cycles
How should our organization react in Stage Six?
Ask yourself, "Is it worth it for my organization to continue to remain in this partnership? Are we achieving our goals in a fiscally and culturally effective manner?" If you answer "yes" to both questions, then the partnership should continue. At that point, you may enter into a second round of big picture discussions to determine how the partnership should move forward well.
If the answer is "no," then the partnership will either fold immediately or gradually wind down as the project ends. Once the project is completed, there will no more discussions or reformulations, and the partnership will effectively die.
What is meant by the "death" of a partnership?
The death of a partnership does not mean that severing all ties. It simply means it is not efficient to maintain the partnership at this time. It is important to maintain a positive relationship so you can always revisit your options in the future.
Why should we examine our partnership’s life cycle?
Since successful partnerships inevitably enter into a decline stage where community development and the value of the partnership decreases, it is important to act appropriately to prolong its success. Failure to act appropriately in a timely manner could lead to a premature decline stage and ultimately result in the disintegration of the partnership. However, timely intervention could lead to the redevelopment and restructuring of the partnership that evolves into a revitalized relationship.
How do we determine if we want to prolong the partnership?
In order to determine if a revitalization of the partnership is important, you should assess the impact of the partnership. Use the evaluative tools provided to determine if the goals have been met and if the partnership is evolving in a manner that is conducive to continued community growth.
Once you have determined if it is valuable to renew or conclude the partnership, develop a road map for the next phase so that the partnership can either evolve with a new focus or organizational mandate or gently dissolve, in order to cause the least amount of dissension and disenchantment.
Resources/References
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