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DIXON Partnering Solutions
Q6
How are we performing? Keeping on track
Evaluation and review
Given the time that these partnering processes can take, the changing faces at the table and external pressures and changes, keeping on track toward the ultimate purpose can be a massive challenge. When bringing in new people, reinforcing the purpose for the partnership is paramount. If this doesn’t happen and new people enter with different ideas of where the partnership should be heading, there is
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" George Santayana, The Life of Reason: Reason in Common Sense, 1905
a danger of ‘purpose drift’, where the initiative heads in a different direction to that originally proposed. This may not be a problem if all partners agree with the new direction. If they don’t it can cause major tensions between
Learning from both success and failure is essential if we
partners and impact on the outcomes.
want to change anything in the world. As Steven Covey says in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, "We need to
So how can you manage the partnering process given all the
take time to sharpen the saw."
potential changes along the journey and ensure that your partnership stays on track?
Reflection and purposeful evaluation, while theoretically recognised as important, is unfortunately too often overlooked in every sector, from business to education and government. In a partnering context reflection and evaluation is even more important as it becomes a tool for developing a shared understanding about how to work together moving forward based on what has already happened. Any exercise in evaluation requires a willingness to explore honestly and to acknowledge both the actions and the lack of actions that have contributed to levels of success and failure.
