Welcome to the third lecture on
international organizations and public-private partnerships.
In this session, we will draw attention to the management of these partnerships.
More specifically, we will look at what are the best means to design,
to implement, and review a public-private partnership.
We will briefly discuss the typical partnership life cycle.
For the life cycle,
we will particularly look at the process of
defining the partnerships, the partnerships goals,
the operational and the governance structure,
and then the role of the beneficiaries,
and we will look at the model with which to review the partnership.
Now, please note that this is not just a short or that this is
not a complete lecture but just a short introduction.
We could easily spend hours talking about
the design and the management of public-private partnerships.
So to kick off with that topic,
we may start with giving an overview of the partnership life cycle.
So the partnership life cycle can normally be
structured in three phases: the preparation phase,
the implementation phase, and then the review phase.
So why is it so important to consider the partnership life cycle?
So actually, we have seen also in our research
that many organizations, including international organizations,
make the mistake of entering into public-private partnerships without knowing
what is exactly expected from them and what the partnership as such involves.
Therefore, it is important to start
the partnership with the crucial and sound preparation phase.
So this preparation phase includes the scoping,
meaning that to identify the problem and try to gather as much information possible.
You consult with the stakeholders and you try to build a vision for your partnership.
Then organizations select their partners and engage in building relationships.
Just after that, they can then move on to defining
the operational model of the partnership and
designing the governance and management structure.
So it is important to really take the time to reflect well in the preparation phase,
which can then take up to two years.
But if you don't fix the parameters beforehand,
you will find yourself blocked once you are in
the implementation phase and you have already invested
all your resources in the partnership design and implementation.
But once you can start your implementation,
it is also important to
simultaneously start with evaluating and monitoring your partnership.
So at best, as I start to do it in parallel,
until maybe you have reached a major milestone which then forces
you to reflect on whether we should continue with this partnership,
should we make major revisions,
or can we even scale up our impact or should we withdraw from the partnership activities?
So that is just to start with
a topic and having an overview of the partnership life cycle.
So if we talk about the partnership life cycle,
let's have a closer look at the preparation phase.
Remember that when negotiating and designing a public-private partnership, partners,
they come from very different sectors with different points of view,
with different cultures, with different backgrounds,
and they are all at the same table.
At this point, it is important that the partners acquire
a common understanding of what the problem is all about to be tackled,
and you have to agree on both the public-private partnership will do, and of course,
then you have to define how you will collaborate,
how the partners have to collaborate,
and which are the core principles that are guiding
the collaboration in a defined public-private partnership.
Now, defining the shared goal is a tricky task.
First, it has to be ensured that the partners have
a similar understanding of what the problem really is,
and you have to agree on how to define the problem and how to define what
the shared goal is for this public-private partnership.
One has to navigate through difficult discussions
in either it is the individual
or the organizational interest that is in the focus.
Which one does really dominate?
What is important?
Moreover, not all these interests are explicit.
Very often, in these discussions, things are implicit.
They are hidden. There are hidden rules.
This brings us of course to a challenge of how to lead
an open and constructive communication and how to find ways
to really align different interests with a shared common goal.
Yes. And once you have defined a common goal,
then it's a question of setting up the management structure of the partnership.
So actually, as we have seen the partnership life cycle,
this involves designing the operational model and also the governance structure.
So starting with the operational model,
you have to fix the parameters such as who are the key players,
what are the key resources,
and what are the key activities that we are going to implement,
and what is the shuttle for delivering our services or products?
Actually, planning your operational model is quite challenging because you have to
remember that partnerships often operate in very volatile environment.
So your operational planning
may very soon become obsolete in terms of challenges and changes in the environment.
What frequently helps is to use an action planning.
So that forces you to fix major milestones and it encourages you to
frequently evaluate whether you have to make
adoptions in your operational planning in line with changes in the environment.
So while this is focusing more on the process on the operational side of the partnership,
you also have to define and set up the governance structure.
Research shows that it is important for the governance structure to
have accountability structures and
to enhance the transparency involved in these structures.
So I have mentioned the word accountability.
What is accountability?
Actually, accountability forces you to deliver on and
take responsibility for your own performance in line with pre-agreed criteria.
So please note that accountability in this context is
not about assigning blame for a problem.
Well, here are certain principles that I think are
helpful for ensuring transparency and accountability.
Let me take three points that I think are important.
You have to define clear roles and responsibilities in an accountable relationship.
Partners' roles and responsibilities should be well understood, well agreed on.
This means you really need clarity.
Clarity is key to an accountable partnership.
What is each partner's role is clearly to be
defined and has to be perceived in the same way by all the partners.
What are the responsibilities?
Again, here we have to ensure that there's a solid information flow,
that there is a clear coordination,
and that the partnership really becomes a form of organizing that means you have to
keep the whole group in mind when you coordinate the activities.
When you work together to reach a goal,
you have to keep the partners informed about.
You have to keep the partners included.
You really are inclusive in such a partnership.
Thus, effective communication and structures are really crucial.
This means think about how you organize regular meetings with everybody
or when do you need to include subgroups and inform them in detail.
Encourage, also reasonable adjustment.
This is another point that is important.
The partnership does not act in a vacuum.
You need to constantly readapt to the context what doesn't work
and how will you improve your organizations way of working and working together.
Gilbert ProbstProfessor, Organization and Management
Sebastian BuckupVisiting professor
Bruce JenksVisiting professor
Stephan MergenthalerVisiting professor
Cassandra QuintanillaTeaching and research assistant
Lea StadtlerResearch Fellow
Claudia Gonzalez RomoVisiting professor
Julian FleetVisiting professor
Tina AmbosAcademic Director of the International Organizations MBA
