Why focus on strategic collaborations?
A modern focus on sustainable business models requires taking a more holistic approach to business strategy. Multi-stakeholder collaboration has proven to accelerate global capacity for sustainable development. When we shift toward an issue-crossing approach to problem solving (rather than an issue-focused approach), we start to see one solution feed into and empower progress! Doing business responsibly, inclusively and sustainably creates and sustains livelihoods; reduces poverty; generates taxes; delivers essential products and services efficiently and affordably; catalyses technological innovation; reduces reliance on imports and/or brings in essential foreign currency revenues through exports, which reduces societal hardships.
How do we create successful partnerships?
An important component of partnerships is the ability to look beyond short term financial gain and towards building longer-term business and societal value instead. Effective interaction with others can be improved by:
Self-Awareness: know what you are good at, where you have growth opportunities and where your methods and patterns have left room for improvement.
Contextual Awareness: take a look at what is happening in your immediate environment — both professionally and socially, in your organization, with current partners and beyond.
Awareness of complexities: there is a relationship between your values, your operations and the context in which you operate. Transformational results are going to emerge from collaboration of unlikely and un-traditional resources.
Leadership: confidence to take risks, to operate in an untraditional manner and remain outcomes-focused in an ambiguous environment (one where we may not get immediate feedback that we are making progress).
Who needs to collaborate to create impact?
Any individual, organization or interest group whose interests are aligned can collaborate to create systemic change. Especially when, for example, an economically-focused entity might invest in strengthening the social or environmental fabric in which they operate. Shifting focus between impacts on our economy, the environment and our society can most profoundly influence and adjust our core practices. The public sector uses regulation, taxes and other financing mechanisms to influence civil society’s technical expertise. Developing interactive public-to-public, public-to-private and civil society partnerships, enhances the flexibility, profitability and overall success of individual entities (as encouraged within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17).
