PARTNERING WORKSHOPS:  AN OVERVIEW

An AMERICORD Partnering Workshop (PW) is a process used to get a multi-party project off on the right foot. Whether it’s a joint venture, a strategic alliance, or a large construction project, the coming together for a specific purpose over a limited period of time, undertakings of this sort throw together many people who must very quickly learn to work together effectively.

Miscommunication, asymmetric data, fear of being taken advantage of, lack of accountability and poor coordination are but a few of the dynamics that can throw a project off schedule and off budget.  Many of these “potholes in the road to success” can be avoided by the relationships and process agreements arrived at in a PW.

A PW is attended by key personnel from each of the partnered entities, and is led by an experienced neutral facilitator.  The typical products of a PW include:

• Identification of problems that most assuredly will arise during the project, along with solutions can be agreed upon before the project actually commences.
•  Identifications of problems likely to arise, along with agreed upon procedures to deal with them as they occur.
• Development of procedures and lines of communication to deal with totally unanticipated problems, so that crafting the solution can begin right away, rather than initially devoting time to deciding whom to blame.
• A Partnering Agreement, signed by all participants, incorporating the agreements reached in the PW.
• A scheduling for follow-up “course checks” to monitor compliance with the partnering agreements.
• A project close-out review and evaluation of the contributions made to the endeavor by the PW.

PWs are custom-designed for each application, and may include various methodologies drawn from Organizational Development, Mediation, Team Building and other disciplines.  Various exercises and instruments may be utilized to heighten participants’ awareness of the differences in their respective styles of communication and decision-making – differences that might otherwise lead to wrong conclusions about each others’ good faith and willingness to cooperate to achieve the common goals.

For more details on Partnering Workshops, click on “Partnering Workshops:  Applications and Methodologies”.