By Peter Gilheany, Forster Communications.
It all feels a little bit apocalyptic at the moment, doesn’t it? Increasing evidence and impact of climate breakdown, the cost of living crisis, global economic uncertainty, an ever-increasing refugee crisis, continuing political polarisation, the parlous state of public services in the UK.
No surprise then that forms of millenarianism are proliferating – that many individuals and movements and organisations believe the conditions and the need is in place for a fundamental shift in how we organise our society, particularly in relation to the climate crisis and our economic system and the very large overlap between the two.
Now, things are not as bad as they may seem and we have been in similar and even worse situations before. The major difference this time is the climate crisis – forgive the inappropriate pun but up until very recently it has been a slow burn in terms of increasing awareness and, most crucially, action to tackle an existential threat that we both created and have the power to tackle. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the threat, it has taken far too long for real action at scale to take place, and we have left it very, very late.
There was much talk during the pandemic of the opportunity it created to “build back better” but where we actually are two years on is far from that. We’re in a constantly broiling perma-crisis, one in which we never seem to be able to draw breath until the next major curveball hits. This is particularly the case of the UK government which now seemingly only has one setting – firefighting.
What this situation has created over the last few years is a breeding ground for more radical collaboration. Forster witnessed that first-hand with the #NeverMoreNeeded initiative during the pandemic itself, when the infrastructure bodies in the voluntary sector did the unprecedented by truly uniting under one banner and campaign. It’s not just within sectors though, there are some inspiring examples of progressive businesses working with civil society organisations in ways that are a million miles on from the traditional charity of the year model of yore.
This is happening for two reasons – necessity, considering the number and scale of the challenges we face and the government almost as an absentee landlord; and the increasing ambition and willingness for progressive businesses to take the lead on tackling those issues and working with others to do so.
That’s why decided to explore the concept of radical collaboration and look at some of the key issues organisations experience along the way when trying to get such initiatives off the ground, hosting a workshop in partnership with Charities Aid Foundation.
During the workshop Trewin Restorick, Founder of sustainability start-up Sizzle and environmental charity Hubbub shared five key aspects that make a successful collaboration;
Clarity: creating a partnership of unusual suspects is time-consuming and risky. It is only worth doing if there is absolute clarity and agreement on what you’re seeking to solve. This issue should be of long-term importance to all parties and be too big to be solved by one organisation alone.
Bravery: radical collaboration can be uncomfortable as it often requires working closely with your competitors, which runs counter to the usual order. By listening to the people directly impacted by the issue you’re seeking to address, you can help identify the root causes and radical new solutions to the issue.
Built on values: bringing together organisations with different cultures, backgrounds and language can be difficult. This is why finding a common set of core values is so important to underpin the partnership and create a shared experience.
Humility: one of the biggest challenges can be navigating power dynamics and shifting the mindset from a client-contractor relationship to a true partnership. Those funding the project must be genuinely open and collaborative, while those being funded must be confident in voicing their opinions.
Courage: to be truly radical requires stepping out of your comfort zone. The project should seek to move at the pace of the most courageous within the partnership to really maximise your opportunities. Be bold with your ambitions, scale or even your branding.
You can read more on these and some great examples in his blog.
With time running out to make progress on urgent and complex issues like the climate crisis and rapidly increasing levels of deprivation, we need more radical collaboration. Which means dissolving the barriers between competitors, sectors, service providers and clients. Between leaders, employees, communities and end users.
All have and must play a role, and this requires a much more creative, inclusive and flexible form of leadership. Leaders who provide the platform for radical collaboration to flourish, for the most unlikely partnerships to be nurtured and grown, for the voices of those excluded from the decision making process to be heard and listened to.
