Overcoming partnership innovation barriers: How can you succeed?

1 Identify your goals and expectations

Before you embark on a partnership, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you will measure your success. You also need to communicate your goals and expectations to your potential partners and align them with theirs. This will help you avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and disappointments later on. You should also establish some ground rules and boundaries for the partnership, such as roles and responsibilities, decision-making processes, and conflict resolution mechanisms.

2 Choose the right partners

Not all partners are created equal. You need to find partners who share your vision, values, and culture, and who have complementary skills, resources, and capabilities. You also need to assess their reputation, reliability, and trustworthiness, as well as their potential risks and liabilities. You should conduct due diligence and background checks on your potential partners, and seek feedback and references from their previous or current partners. You should also look for partners who are willing to commit, invest, and co-create with you, and who are open to learning and adapting.

3 Build trust and rapport

Trust is the foundation of any successful partnership. Without trust, you will not be able to share information, ideas, and feedback, or to collaborate effectively and efficiently. To build trust, you need to establish rapport and mutual respect with your partners, and to demonstrate honesty, integrity, and transparency. You should also communicate frequently and clearly, and keep your promises and commitments. You should also celebrate your achievements and milestones, and acknowledge your partners' contributions and efforts.

4 Manage diversity and complexity

Partnerships often involve working with diverse and complex entities, such as different organizations, sectors, cultures, and disciplines. This can create challenges and tensions, but also opportunities and synergies. To manage diversity and complexity, you need to embrace different perspectives and approaches, and to leverage the strengths and assets of each partner. You should also foster a culture of curiosity, openness, and inclusiveness, and encourage cross-fertilization and integration of ideas and solutions. You should also use appropriate tools and methods to coordinate and streamline your partnership activities, such as project management software, online platforms, and agile methodologies.

5 Learn and improve

Partnership innovation is not a linear or predictable process. It is a dynamic and iterative process that requires constant learning and improvement. To learn and improve, you need to monitor and evaluate your partnership performance and outcomes, and to collect and analyze data and feedback. You should also reflect on your successes and failures, and identify the lessons learned and the best practices. You should also share your learning and insights with your partners, and seek their input and suggestions. You should also be flexible and adaptable, and ready to adjust your goals, strategies, and actions as needed.

6 Sustain and scale

Partnership innovation is not a one-off or short-term endeavor. It is a long-term and continuous endeavor that requires sustained and scaled impact. To sustain and scale, you need to secure and diversify your funding and resources, and to demonstrate your value proposition and social return on investment. You should also cultivate and expand your network and relationships, and to engage and influence your stakeholders and beneficiaries. You should also replicate and adapt your innovation to different contexts and settings, and to disseminate and promote your innovation to wider audiences and markets.