High-Performance Partnerships - National Academy of Public ...

MANAGEMENT APPROACHES
AND ATTRIBUTES
chapter twelve
Generally, nonprofit organizations and their
managers are respected in the community and
can reach segments of the population that government
alone cannot. With the civic sector,
they provide grassroots organizing skills that
are key to achieving positive and lasting outcomes
in many communities.
BUSINESS SECTOR
MANAGEMENT
Business sector management skills are very valuable
in a high-performance environment.
Strong business managers generally are strong
strategic planners. The focus on bottom line
results and profitability can provide good
grounding and efficiency for the partnership. If
these skills can be married with nonprofit values
and public sector accountability and openness,
the groundwork is laid for extraordinary results.
At the same time, many business executives are
not adept at managing collaboratively, sharing
authority, and working to build consensus.
Corporate managers usually bring a performance
orientation, but not collaboration skills,
to a cross-sector partnership.
CIVIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT
Civic leaders are among the most skilled at
working collaboratively, yet they frequently are
overlooked. Citizens often are perceived as
clients, not full partners. They sometimes feel
that their value is not recognized or respected.
Without a sense of empowerment, civic organizations
may tend to hang back, reserving
judgment and full participation. However,
they can play a tremendously important role in
collaborative efforts.
To be full participants, civic organizations
must impart leadership skills and share
accountability for outcomes. Indeed, they
must be inclusive and endeavor to reach out to
every segment of the community they represent.
Their ability to build consensus among
diverse perspectives and priorities also adds
strength and credibility.
Civic leaders, often volunteers, must be able to
commit their organizations’ resources, such as
access, stakeholder management, communications
channels, ideas, and in-kind services.
They do not always have the time or ability to
be actively engaged in the partnership’s workplans
and decision-making, but they can be a
powerful contributor when they do.
Several design lab participants identified the
lack of stability and succession planning in
civic leadership as a significant obstacle. This
causes civic leaders to be viewed as less reliable
than other partners. However, others had an
opposite impression. As with any organization,
the degree to which civic leaders contribute
depends largely on the commitment
and capacity of the individuals involved.
Civic partners share many of the same management
issues as other sectors. But, they have
valuable skills to reach out to a diverse membership,
build consensus, and accept shared
ownership and accountability. When they are
at the table, cross-sector collaboration is more
likely to be effective.
132 Powering the Future: High-Performance Partnerships