76 Partnerships create synergies: the LSP's contribution to local outcomes should be greater than members' separate activity. Many synergies are soft because they rely on the intangible elements of partnership working (Ref. 32). They develop from the trust that comes from commitment to common goals and mutual respect (Figure 9).
Figure 9 Building on trust 'The success of our partnership is because we have very much concentrated on the things that we can do together and where we can add value together. If you concentrate on the things that you agree on, those things that you don't agree on become solvable because you create a feeling of trust.' Council chief executive 'It's not always about funding and resources; it's about working better together. As we've got areas of common interest if we can just coordinate our services better and share information better, then we can improve things for people locally.' Borough fire commander Source: Audit Commission, 2008 |
77 Synergy cannot be taken for granted. LSPs can use social network analysis (SNA), delivery chain analysis (DCA), and other techniques, to test whether the partnership is realising its potential.
'We look how different partners and theme groups can contribute to each other's results. That is going to be much more robust as we move into this new statutory LAA.'
LSP director