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    Brain Circuits

    Crash course in collaboration: How to collaborate for systems change

    by Peter Vogel, Malgorzata Smulowitz Published October 1, 2024 in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

    Philanthropic foundations are combining resources to tackle grand challenges and increase impact. Here are six simple learnings for all organizations looking to forge partnerships with others.  

     

    1.    Embrace trial and error 

    Start without a strategy and allow yourself to evolve through experimentation and learning, rather than establishing a fixed, over-arching approach that might require significant effort to get underway or create tensions within the partnership.  

     

    2.    Bring the decision-makers to the room 

    Make sure that people of similar rank are involved in the collaboration from the start, and throughout the project. If one partner sends a junior figure to attend meetings, it can give the impression that they are not taking the initiative seriously. It also risks making decisions that don’t get the approval from HQ, derailing the partnership, and undermining future decisions. 

     

    3.    Choose like-minded partners 

    It’s key to partner with organizations who share the same big-picture goals and who have a positive attitude towards collaboration and collegiality.  

     

    4.    Set clear boundaries 

    Parties need to be mindful of the boundaries in terms of what they contribute through collaboration versus what is managed within their own organizations. Establishing clear boundaries is essential to avoid creating overlaps or misunderstandings. 

     

    5.    Trust your partners and take risks together 

    In successful collaborations, partners must trust and support each other, be willing to compromise and acknowledge that no one has all the answers.

      

    6.    Appoint a dedicated coordinator 

    Make sure to have a dedicated coordinator who is pulling everyone together, harmonizing things, and identifying where people have different opinions.  

     

    Further reading 

    The 8 essential design principles for a matrix organization  

    Resetting collaboration in a changing world 

    Perfect the art of collaboration: Understanding partners’ needs and cultures 

    Sustainable finance: Acceleration depends on cross-sector collaboration  

    Breaking down the barriers to ecosystem collaboration 

    Test yourself: Are you ready for real collaboration on sustainability? 

     

    Authors

    Peter Voegel - IMD Professor

    Peter Vogel

    Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship at IMD

    Peter Vogel is Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, Director of the Global Family Business Center (GFBC), and Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD, where he leads the Leading the Family Business, Leading the Family Office, and Lean Intrapreneurship programs. He is recognized globally as one of the foremost family business educators, advisors, and academics, and has received numerous awards and distinctions. He is the author of the award-winning books Family Philanthropy Navigator and Family Office Navigator. 

    Malgorzata Smulowitz

    Malgorzata Smulowitz

    Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD

    Malgorzata Smulowitz is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD. She has published work on numerous topics including family philanthropy, cohesive giving, the use of blockchain in philanthropy, and impact data management. She holds a PhD in economics, management and organization from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

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