Working with the underlying dynamics of partnership decision making

Working with the underlying dynamics of partnership decision making

A one-day, face-to-face, experiential workshop for those working in multi-sectoral partnerships – ONE WORKSHOP AVAILABLE for 2023/24

This impactful new workshop has been created from our experience of working with local partnerships, alliances and collaboratives, and recognising the range of challenges they face – some explicit, others somewhat ‘under the surface’.

This is a developmental workshop, not a training session, and it contains elements that colleagues may find challenging or uncomfortable. Our aim is to increase participants’ awareness of and ability to work with the underlying dynamics of partnership working.  It builds on the Strategy Unit’s core hypothesis that better public value outcomes flow from the use of better evidence within better decision-making processes.  Both the issues being addressed and the related decision-making processes need to take account of and to manage structural and social factors alike.

There is one opportunity remaining for a provider collaborative, place-based partnership or other partnership body within the Midlands ICSs during 2023-24. This is funded via the Midlands Decision Support Network, supported by ICS subscriptions, so is ‘free at the point of use’ to relevant groups.

It is aimed primarily at the board and/or executive team level of individual place-based partnerships, although the approach could equally be used for system-level bodies or provider collaboratives.

For partnership decision-making to function well, good processes are not enough: partners need a strengthened capability to work in multiple roles at the same time and to work with the personal and organisational dynamics that inevitably accompany such work.

The workshop helps participants to move to new levels of mutual understanding and collaboration. Previous participants have highlighted learning about:

• Adopting a different mindset of ‘taking your organisation into the room’ rather than ‘leaving it at the door’;
• How to genuinely implement cross system collaboration, not just talk about it;
• How to lead together through strengthened local relationships and shared understanding;
• How complex true collaboration can be, but how important it is;
• The way the role play illustrated how our assumptions about our roles or organisations can constrain our contributions as partners;
• How the aggregate results of our psychometric assessment identified our strengths and weaknesses as a team and think about how we want to address development areas.

The ask

Participation will require:

• a protected day of colleagues’ time to come together face-to-face
• completion of the psychometric assessment at least two weeks ahead of the workshop[N.B. This is a deeper, more personal assessment than other common approaches and participants will need to be prepared for this. We use this because it addresses participants’ innate and learnt ways of making decisions and how they naturally react to the world.]
• completion of a post-event survey to inform the further development of this and other resources.

For place-based partnerships, we would expect participants to include the NHS (ICB and local providers), primary care leads, Local Government officers (public health, social care, children’s services) and the voluntary and community sector.

Workshops will generally be held at a local venue provided by the relevant partners/organisation, including lunch and other refreshments. Ideally the location will be neutral to the partners and not participants’ usual place of work. It should be able to comfortably accommodate c.20 people in a variety of formats. The suitability of the space should be confirmed with the Strategy Unit before the venue booking is made.