Partnership Working Research Report: Social and Economic Partnership Project

Partnership Working Research Report: Social and Economic Partnership Project

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction

2. Since devolution there has been a greater commitment to working in partnership to build a better Scotland. Partnership working is now a prominent feature of the policy landscape and both the Executive and key partners are developing new and innovative ways of working with each other. With more opportunities being created for partnership, there has been a recognition of the need to take stock of how partnership is working and to reflect on how effective it is in meeting the challenges facing Scotland.
4. The Scottish Executive has recognised the need to improve the way in which it engages with stakeholders and delivery partners and has developed a corporate change and review programme, 'Changing to Deliver', to enable and foster a process of continuous improvement. As part of this drive, a research study was undertaken primarily to identify and consider fundamental principles of partnership working and to assess and review current relationships. The work forms part of a wider project looking at Social and Economic Partnership and builds on earlier strands of work carried out as part of this. The main focus of the study was to explore how the Executive operates as a partner to determine how relationships can be enhanced and improved. The research attempts to build a picture of partnership in relation to the Executive by providing a limited evidence base of views about partnership working. This report presents the findings from research activities carried out in early 2003 with Scottish Executive staff and representatives from a number of key partner organisations. In total, 65 people participated in the study.

5. The Meaning, Role and Principles of Partnership Working

6. Research participants were asked to consider the meaning and role of partnership, and to identify what characterises good or bad partnerships and what principles should underpin partnership working. Despite heavy use of the term partnership over recent years, participants adopted different definitions and emphasised different elements and dimensions of partnership. Interpretations ranged from informal conversation to high level set-piece forums, and from broad-based, ongoing engagement to specific, time-limited involvement. There was broad agreement that increased partnership working is a good thing, although some expressed doubt about an apparent 'fashion' for partnership for its own sake.
8. Individual positions on partnership were sometimes complex. For instance, some participants argued in general for a very informal, flexible approach, while at the same time demanding for other instances that the remit, roles and responsibilities should be formalised.
10. A potential tension was highlighted around the perceived need for the Executive to involve partners earlier on and to share thinking and policy development processes. For instance, Ministers' democratic accountability for decision-making was perceived by some to make it difficult to involve partners more in decision-making.
12. Although understanding of the term partnership varied within as well as between sectors, common themes did emerge on the principles applying to good partnership working. These were identified as follows:

Basic Building Blocks of a Partnership Relationship

• Trust
• Mutual respect
• Openness
• Tolerance
• Continuity

The Framework for Working in Partnership

• Shared vision
• Agreement of remit, roles and responsibilities
• Clear terms of engagement
• Appropriate life-span, including clear review procedures
• Management of change

Adopting the Right Partnership Behaviours

• Effective co-ordination and chairing
• Interpersonal skills and personal qualities
• Responsible behaviour outwith the partnership

2. Generally, the characteristics of ineffective partnerships were given mainly as the opposites of those listed above for, example lack of trust, lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities, and so on. However, posturing by partners, and when partnerships go ' past their sell-by date' were also highlighted.
4. Despite differing understandings of the meaning of partnership, there was an overwhelming commitment to the overall ethos of partnership, with many having developed and implemented new and dynamic ways of working. At the same time there was also a desire from both Executive and partners alike for further improvement, and recognition of the need to increase the effectiveness of partnership working. However, some scepticism remains amongst external participants about the Executive's commitment to partnership.

5. Current Experience of Partnership Working

6. A key aim of the study was to explore participants' assessments of how well they work in partnership with the Executive. Participants reported significant increases in engagement and improvement in relationships between the Executive and partners, and also amongst partners, since devolution. Participants cited a number of successful partnerships. These were felt to be those which showed the features outlined above such as having a clear purpose, remit and life-span, mutual recognition of roles, trust and so on. However, many partners were disappointed with some of their experiences. A number of common frustrations and challenges were highlighted including:

• A perceived inconsistency in commitment to adopting a partnership approach across the Executive.
• Involvement of partners too late or in too limited a way.
• Lack of engagement beyond those with loud and influential voices.
• The need for feedback about the outcomes of consultation or partnership engagement.
• The need for clarity over purpose and roles.
• Resource issues.

2. In particular the issue of inconsistency was seen to be a problem by partners and Executive staff alike. There was optimism among Executive staff about the capacity for current internal change initiatives to improve the way the Executive relates to and works with others. Although encouraged by the potential for continued change, partners did not share this optimism, partly because they were unsure about the nature of such change initiatives.
4. The resource issue was also particularly significant. While organisations welcomed increased access and opportunities for involvement, many have found it difficult to cope with the increasing demands of partnership working and have had to re-prioritise to engage effectively. Partners saw the need to take responsibility for the requirements that partnership working brings in terms of investment and resources. It was recognised that developing a culture of involvement requires building capacity in both the Executive and partner organisations.

5. Suggested Improvements

6. At the same time as describing difficulties and challenges, both partners and Executive staff identified possible ways in which partnership working could be enhanced and improved. Recognising that the Executive is moving in the right direction, a number of suggestions were put forward in particular:

• Earlier engagement and continuous dialogue with partners
• Opportunities for input at a strategic level
• Clarity of purpose and roles
• Building in review and evaluation
• Widening access and building capacity
• Embedding and developing a culture of involvement
• A strategic commitment to partnership working
• A shared responsibility

2. In particular, partners were clear about the importance of embedding a culture of involvement through methods such as joint training. Participants also emphasised the need for early engagement and continuous dialogue and feedback within consultation and engagement processes. The opportunity to be involved in discussions about overarching strategic issues affecting Scotland was highlighted as a gap in the partnership landscape.

3. Views on New Mechanisms for Partnership

4. A secondary aim of this research was to identify whether Executive partners consider current partnership mechanisms to be sufficient, or whether they believe that there is a need to explore new partnership mechanisms for Scotland.
6. Partners were in the main content with their existing bilateral relationships with the Executive, although a number of problems were highlighted. For instance while many participants felt that new or renewed Executive partnership agreements (such as the Memorandum of Understanding with the trade unions, Compact with the voluntary sector, and Partnership Framework with local authorities) had brought about significant benefits for their sector, there were concerns that such contracts had not been universally applied across the Executive.
8. In discussions about new mechanisms, there was no clear consensus. A small minority did not want there to be any changes to current partnerships. Some felt that the current partnership landscape benefited from a degree of fluidity and diversity, and that to impose a new process would be unhelpful. However, a small number felt that introducing new mechanisms such as a statutory social and economic partnership (SEP) would send a clear message about the importance of partnership working, and at the same time improve decision-making processes. Although participants' views were often fairly open, participants from the trade union sector were generally in favour of a SEP, while those from the business sector were generally against. Many of those supporting the concept of a SEP did not propose specific models, but rather concentrated on the underlying principles, many of which were also common concerns for those who tended to oppose it.
10. The breadth of discussions about the concept of a new mechanism reflects the early status of the debate in different sectors, rather than a strong consensus for change across the social and economic partners. Nevertheless, there were many calls for more involvement of partners in discussions about overarching, strategic issues affecting Scotland. Consequently, the case for establishing a multilateral forum for ongoing discussion on some key strategic challenges facing Scotland appears to have some weight.

11. Overall Conclusions

12. The findings from these discussions demonstrate that there is a great deal of partnership working activity across different policy areas and sectors. Within this, there is a strong commitment among partners to develop and improve partnership activity. The research also found a strong endorsement of the messages for change in organisational style which are already permeating the Executive. Within the current partnership landscape, there was a recognition of the need to consolidate existing arrangements, but that there should also be opportunities to contribute to strategic thinking on the overarching issues facing Scotland. The findings to emerge are being used to inform policy considerations in this area and to build on Executive cultural change programmes which aim to promote more effective partnership working.