âWhat is clear is that 'partnership' can mean different things to different people and organisations. Even the same wo
A Spectrum of Change: partnership in practice
“What is clear is that ‘partnership’ can mean different things to different people and organisations. Even the same words can have subtly but importantly different meanings. ‘Partnership’ can cover a multiplicity of purposes.” Richard Hallam, Effective Partnership Working in Music Education: Principles and Practice
“For many, ‘partnership evidently has true meaning and value, but it is not a single model. Rather, it is an attitude – a commitment to bridging boundaries in a principles and effective way.” The Art of Partnership, Kings College London
East London Cultural Education Partnership
• A 3 year cultural education partnership led by the Barbican Guildhall (Creative Learning) • Supported by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
• Music Services: Hackney, Tower Hamlets & Thames, Redbridge, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Islington, Waltham Forest • Creating a transferable partnership framework for sustained collaboration between the education and cultural sectors
Emerging
The vision of partnership is initiated by a single partner (eg in response to / as part of funding bid)
Embedding Partners come together in mutual recognition of the value of working in partnership and the strength of a collective and contextual approach
Descriptors fit into thematic headlines: • Vision and Common Values • Partners • Objectives • Strategic Development of the Partnership • Governance • Communications • Programme/ project Planning and Evaluation • Sharing of Learning • Reach, Influence and Sustainability
An evidence based spectrum of change • Descriptors developed through reflecting on evidence • Grounded theory approach • Captured at regular intervals
• Robust process of collection • A ‘live’ document
Emerging Partners are an ad hoc group with different functional roles with little understanding of the rationale for this partnership
A single role or representation predominates (eg only heads or operational roles of organisations) and little rationale as to function of group activity
Embedding A growing Partners understanding represent a of the balance of importance of roles & multiple functions perspectives (the right and roles leads partners for to a coherence this of rationale for partnership) this partnership
Emerging
There is no interest or awareness in generating the conditions for partnership working
Partners There is a demonstrate recognition that facilitative trust, openess, behaviour that reciprocity& a will lead to learning culture stronger will enable the relationships partnership. and more (not uniform effective nor always partnership facilitated) working
Embedding Partners share the facilitation for modelling conditions for partnership in cultural education with recognition that this will enable others to join
Some learning:
• Not a judgmental process • Importance of precision & simplicity
• Evidence can be ambiguous • Generated debate on what embedded partnership practice looks like when it arises from practice
‘It is the reconfiguration of relationships that gives
a system its essential characteristics…’ Robert Hewison