Partnership: a working relationship that reflects a long-term commitment, a sense of mutual cooperation, shared risk and benefits, and other qualities consistent with concepts and theories of participatory decision making.
Partnership in Context: the degree to which the partners believe that the partnership will be sustained over time
- Mutual benefit: explicit articulation and agreement upon the benefits accrued by each member of the partnership. Categories of benefits:
- financial returns
- process or product innovations
- risk sharing
- positive working environment
- financial contribution
- operations efficiency
- quality of work life
- Commitment: agreement/desire to sustain relationship. Indicators of commitment:
- shared goals
- incentive systems
- contracts
- Presdisposition: an existing predilection in favor of the partnership
- trust (based on track record and personal relationships)
- existing attitudes and assumptions
Partnership in Action: the ability of partners to influence policies and decisions that affect the operational performance of the partnership
- Shared Knowledege
- of each other’s perspective, environment, culture, work processes
- Mutual Dependency on Distinctive Competencies and Resources
- skilled personnel
- management time
- physical assets
- Organizational Linkage
- physical process linkage
- information integration
- social networks
Source: John Henderson, “Plugging into Strategic Partnerships: The Critical IS Connection,” Sloan Management Review (Spring 1990), pp. 7-18.
