Betwixt & Between

Issue #3:

dedicated to promoting knowledge exchange on partnership brokering

Browse Issues:
Issue #6, Issue #5, Issue #4, Issue #3, Issue #2, Issue #1

Welcome to the third issue of the Journal of Partnership Brokering ‘Betwixt and Between’! The content in this Issue reflects the expectations we have of partnership brokers as managers of the partnering process in a wide range of contexts and cultures – how their interventions, skills and insights can contribute to the success of a partnership as well as to the development of the broader brokering movement. It also explores new mechanisms in partnership brokering. In their case study, Ian Dixon, Mark Nodea and Jacob Workman explore how a combination of external and internal brokering is working to facilitate an innovative two-way learning partnership between an important remote Indigenous art centre and a leading University in Australia. In 2011, the Gija Community in North Western Australia and the Centre for Cultural Arts Conservation within the University of Melbourne began a relationship, initially to restore art works damaged by major flooding. As the relationship progressed and the protagonists sought expansion of the partnership for greater impact, they engaged an external broker to work with the internal brokering unit to progress its aims. The article is a very informative and engaging description of how that worked. In another story from the front line, Ioana Crihana draws on her experience of a mutli-stakeholder partnership in Romania to offer her observations on what it takes to build long term partnerships. As a broker and as the head of an organisation... Read the article

Brokering a 2 Way Learning Partnership

Abstract: Knowing when to seek assistance and engage external support in a partnership is not easy. Just how this support may best be utilised and work with an organisation’s internal brokers can be challenging. In this case study, we explore how a combination of external and internal brokering is working to facilitate an innovative partnership between an important remote Indigenous art centre and a leading University in Australia. In 2011, the Gija Community in North Western Australia and the Centre for Cultural Arts Conservation within the University of Melbourne began a relationship, initially... Read the article

Increasing reach and impact of partnership brokers through training

Abstract: The Partnership Brokers Association (PBA) is the only entity running a unique international professional training programme for brokers, promoting partnership brokering and supporting a sizeable community of partnership brokers worldwide. Drawing on PBA's training model, World Vision International (WV) has developed an equally unique internal training programme aimed at embedding partnership brokering within its organisation... Read the article

Partnership Brokers as Leaders

Abstract: Leadership needs to be a critical focus for partnership brokers as they work to gain insight and inspiration about effective ways to increase their contribution. Just as they may adopt a number of different duties in the fulfillment of their role, brokers may have to express different attributes of directive and non-directive leadership. Based on his own experience as a partnership broker, the author explores servant leadership and situational leadership in the context of partnership brokering. Partnership Brokers as Leaders "A failure to focus inward leaves you rudderless, a failure... Read the article

New mechanisms for brokering collaboration: the emergence of partnership brokering units and organisations

Abstract: This paper explores the interesting phenomenon of units or organisations that have been developed with a specific and recognisable partnership brokering remit – even if that term is not explicitly... Read the article

The role of partnership brokers in building a sense of ownership

Abstract: ‘A sense of ownership’ is a common expression in the partnership brokering world. Partnership brokers may question to what extent the partners, and hence the success of the partnership, depends on them. The current partnership brokering discourse has not delved deeply into the issue of ownership. Based on the author’s own experience as a partnership broker for a consortium of nineteen NGOs, this paper explores the importance of the partnership... Read the article

Complexity and partnering: Learning to ‘see’ for more effective brokering

Abstract: Partnership brokers play an important role in navigating complex problems in partnerships. When they look at their partnerships and the interwoven webs of relationships overlaid with the different narratives that participants bring, it can be difficult to ‘see’ what is actually happening. The author believes that by developing the ability to recognize - or ‘see’... Read the article

Brokering long-term partnerships – a cross-border approach based on a Romanian experience

Abstract: Partnerships are complex and we can argue that like many other human relationships depend as much on the attributes, characteristics and accomplishments of the partners as they do on the processes which bring them together and encourage them to commit to a stable... Read the article