What is Partnership Working? Why is it Important to Work in Partnership?

Partnership working, whether in business or in any other sector, can contribute to the improvement of the service provided. It can turn out the limited resources of an organisation to reach a greater number of people with better services.

A partnership is formed between individuals, agencies or organisations with a shared goal and interest. The coherent and effective service, shared culture, and prompt responsiveness of partnership working deliver the best outcomes. Learn about partnership working and acknowledge why is it important to work in partnership with others from this blog.

What is Partnership Working?

The idea of “Partnership Working” is such that  two or more groups or individuals come together to achieve a common purpose. The division of power is not necessary for equal proportion, but there is always some degree of spreading control or influence.

Partnership working aims at providing a well-balanced service. The key principles of partnership working are trust, honesty, shared goals and values and regular communication between partners.

Why is it Important to Work in Partnership with Others?

Partnership working follows the concept of “collaborative approach.” This collaborative approach does make a difference in the work environment. The hurdles of problem-solving and planning reduce if there is a collaborative approach to working. It helps a business or organisation to grow. Moreover, partnership working creates a sense of community among employees leading to improvement of efficiency and quality of work.

According to Sabrina Ho, a Macau-based entrepreneur, “Partnership is the new leadership.” Her philosophy is backed by another study that says- “Collaboration across industries leads to vastly improved results, by bringing together different skill sets and resources, and by fostering a spirit of unity and camaraderie.”

Apart from commercial sectors, partnership working can be utilised in family life and childcare as well. The shared responsibilities bring in a positive effect on a child’s upbringing. To be specific, partnership working can-

• Generate great ideas- Involving partners means inviting creativity. The more people are involved, the more new ideas you can get.
• Acquaint with experiences- Those who have worked previously in the same sector can help you guide through unfamiliar processes and assist you in developing.
• Give a new perspective- Your partner can give a totally new insight into something that you are looking at from your perspective. This can solve a problem with a different approach.
• Strengthen relationships- working with partners at work or home can strengthen relationships as well as motivate you to work and give effort for a better outcome.

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What are the Benefits of Partnership Working?

Now that you have understood what partnership working is and its importance, you might want to know- how does partnership working deliver better outcomes? Partnership working provides a number of benefits, whether it’s in business, social work or health and social care.

It often becomes difficult for a single person to carry out all the responsibilities due to time constraints, lack of experience and expertise. Their job might also demand assistance from co-workers. For example, while safeguarding children, safeguarding officers need to contact other professionals such as the police, social workers, or teachers to discuss potential child protection issues.

You can find the importance of working in partnership in the following sectors-

Business-

• Partnership working creates team building opportunities that boost morale within the workforce.
• It gives employees the opportunity to share skills with co-workers
• Allows to share the expenses and capital expenditures required to run the business
• Enables to develop and enhance relationships with customers and networks
• Gives access to new ideas and knowledge consistently
• Employees are better motivated and more productive in partnership working

Health and Social Care-

• Information sharing with patients becomes convenient
• Improves monitoring of difficult patients
• Reduces duplication of assessments and services
• Develops a multi-skilled workforce
• Creates a better understanding of team roles and contribution to care
• Improves job satisfaction for support volunteers and professionals

Social Work-

• Partnership working allows team members to bring their individual expertise to resolve issues
• Allows different professionals to present ideas that create opportunities for innovation
• Clients benefit from having a larger support system
• It gives access to different tools that reduce costs for individuals and ensure that the team performs efficiently.
• It becomes easier to navigate bureaucracy, protocols and procedures with team members who have existing relationships with agencies and organisations

Safeguarding-

• Partnership working leads to early effective risk identification
• Improves information sharing
• Allows joint decision making
• Encourages coordinated action to assess and reduce risk

Childcare-

• Allows family members and carers to work together to support children
• Provides the opportunity to find out the most effective ways to enhance children’s learning
• Parents have more opportunities to discuss child development
• When information are shared and discussed, parents get a better understanding of children’s behaviour at home and outside home
• Both the parents and children are benefited from shared decision-making

What are the Drawbacks of Partnership Working?

Like every coin has two sides, partnership working also has some drawbacks and benefits. Though the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, some issues might hamper the workflow.

• There might be disagreements while decision making
• The decision-making process becomes time-consuming since it requires the consent of all partners or colleagues
• Conflicts might arise due to disagreements
• Each member remains liable for their own actions and for others as well
• In case of business, you might lose autonomy

Conclusion

The blog has elaborately explained about partnership working and its advantages and disadvantages. By adapting to this concept of working, and developing teamwork along with leadership skills, employers, employees and organisations, on the whole, can bring out a positive outcome and be benefitted.

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