Facilitating Conversations on Collaboration

In my last post I asserted that the nonprofit organizations of tomorrow are being born out of the economic crisis of today. In this current economic turmoil, there are many voices counseling the nonprofit world to increase “collaboration.” Unfortunately, many of these experts are using “collaboration” as euphemism for “merger and acquisition.” However, unlike the opinions of these non-prophets (pun intended), I believe that the organizational tempering is less about “merger and acquisition” and more about vision, leadership, agility and innovation. As a new operational model, authentic collaboration needs to be grounded in sovereignty, aspiration, innovation and brought to life as a concrete operating strategy. In this post, I wanted to outline what I consider to be the provocative questions that nonprofits (and nonprofit boards) need to consider before pursuing formal collaborations with other agencies.

What are we trying to achieve through collaboration? A first question that informs a discussion of collaboration is the fundamental question of outcome. The expert perspective that “there are too many nonprofits,” may suffice as an efficiency justification for encouraging collaboration but for the individual agency struggling with the question of collaboration, efficiency is but one variable. A nonprofit must clearly identify the drivers of collaboration. The heart of the question is twofold. First is a consideration of where an agency wants to be compared to where it is now. In other words, what is the performance gap that needs to be closed? The second question asks if collaboration is among the best ways to close the gap (systems-thinking knows that there is usually more than one “best way”).

I would like to suggest that the question of outcome requires an agency to explore three dimensions of organization practice including its: Operating, Resource, and Social Impact models. In the resources listed below, I link to a couple of business planning documents that all discuss these three dimensions of practice. Such and exploration ideally includes both inquiry and reflection.

Resource Model: The current economic crisis sets up the false dichotomy of a “merge or die” line of thinking. “Our budget is shrinking, should we merge?” is one way to approach the question. However, implicit in this approach is a scarcity mentality –namely, that there isn’t enough money to go around. Illustrating this, I was recently talking to a colleague who made the blanket statement that he would “not encourage any agency to launch ambitious new plans in this economy.” Scarcity thinking is one way to approach the resource model conversation but such an approach often misses larger conversations. For example, I know an organization with heavy revenue concentration from stable long-term government grants. It is also an agency that has a large number of volunteers, whom have never been asked for donations. In the context of three straight years of government budget cuts, the stability of the organization was incrementally being threatened. By revisiting the resource model of the agency, the decision was made to a build new revenue stream based on small individual donations. Two years into the plan the organization is on track to reinvent its resource development model.

Operating Model: A second inquiry and reflection exercise is to consider an organization’s operating model. Are services delivered effectively? Can the system of operations be reconceived? Such a conversation does not question the program strategy of an agency but looks for operating efficiencies. Conversations might focus, for example, on the value of collaboration to create “back office” efficiencies or the value of sharing space.

Social Impact Model: the third conversation that informs the question of “what do we want to achieve?” is the conversation of social impact. Here a group examines the heart of the organization through the lens of impact. I can think of more than one nonprofit agency that has reinvented its programs and services to create a larger impact (or the same impact more efficiently). Here is the greatest need for inquiry and reflection and, in my opinion, it is from this dimension of organizational practice where the best collaborative decisions are made.

What are the models of collaboration? Following inquiry and reflection, an agency needs to explore the various models of collaboration (and inherent philosophies of each). In another post, I identified five models of collaboration that serve as a good working outline of models. (In the resources section below I reference a study documenting eight models). Too often groups think in polar opposites. Merge and “go it alone” are simply two points on a scale of collaboration. A thoughtful discussion of other collaborative models will help in articulating a collaboration strategy.

What is the due diligence process associated with our collaboration? A third component of the strategic conversation around collaboration is to create a roadmap for exploring a specific collaboration model. Making process a part of the initial conversation can help an organization get a clear picture of the scope of work, timeline and resources required to support the development of collaborative partnerships. As with most organizational change efforts, developing collaborative relationships is subject to the old adage of: “fast, cheap, done correctly –chose any two.” Collaboration, done correctly, takes dedicated resources of time and money and generally the faster you want it to happen the larger the costs.

What does the collaboration process look like? The final component of the collaboration conversation is to be visually clear about what the entire collaboration process looks like. I have also written before about describing process from the perspective of visual learning. In mapping out a process of collaboration, creating a visual understanding can assist an organization build a shared image of the change ahead. However, even if an organization chooses not to visually represent the plan, there needs to be a written workplan developed with clear milestones and markers of success along the way.

Collaboration exists on many levels in organizations. As this post is a follow up to my last post, it is important to recognize that I am referencing collaboration that can fundamentally change the fabric of an organization. Change that can lead to sharing space, affiliation or even merger is a deep process and is not the equivalent of collaborating with other agencies on a community event. Embarking on the process of inter-agency collaboration is a major undertaking for any organization and carries with it the weight of seismic organizational change. Facilitating collaboration requires more than simply running a good meeting and requires the thoughtful attention to inquiry, reflection, and process.

As always, your thoughts are welcome.

Resources:

The Process of Social Entrepreneurship: creating opportunities worthy of serious pursuit

Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact

Models of Collaboration Nonprofit Organizations Working Together

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Facilitating Conversations on Collaboration

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