Working in partnerships and alliances has become a phenomenon of growing relevance, both for public sector agencies and for businesses. One major driver has been the sheer complexity and size of (global) challenges faced by organizations looking to succeed; other drivers have emerged from the benefits of specialization and from regulatory pressures. Whether partnerships and alliances are collaborations in support of common goals – such as joint research, marketing, influencing or solution development - operating in such settings presents unique challenges for the organizations involved as well as for those shaping and operating the settings for collaboration. The course will explore the management challenges emerging when building and engaging with partnerships and alliances, specifically in regard to stakeholder management. Concepts and tools for analyzing, designing, and shaping stakeholder management approaches will be introduced, respectively from the vantage points of sovereign decision-makers (governments and their sub-national entities), private sector entities, and of civil society. Each module will offer opportunities for practical application of analytical and managerial tools by working through challenges that present themselves to existing partnerships and alliances, considering their evolution, progress made, and likely future. Participants will learn how and why specific choices – in terms of organizational setting and management practice - can hinder progress or be a means of introducing innovation into stakeholder engagement processes and shaping effective decision-making. Participants will take from the course a set of tools and analytical approaches highly relevant for designing, assessing, leading, managing and working with a diverse group of stakeholders in (global) partnerships and alliances in private and public settings.
This course is best for you if you are involved in activities that involve stakeholder management - or will involve stakeholder management - ideally in a partnership context. The course is designed to build on - and help you work through - your own professional challenges in stakeholder management/partnership building.
Instructor
- Monika Weber-Fahr , Adjunct