The ideal partnership is based on shared decision-making and mutual commitment. While this may be self-evident, its implications for the structure of the partnership and behaviour of the partners is not always well understood or accounted for. It is necessary to heed the following lessons:
• Take a learning approach Relationships work best when actors are willing to learn about one another and about how to work together. In practice, municipal, private and civil society actors do not naturally learn from each other.
• Ensure extensive up-front discussion For organisations (and individuals) to become familiar with one another, it is necessary to explore capabilities, and the different uses of words and meanings.
• Expect mistakes Mistakes will always arise, and accountability should include identifying lessons and revisions to the process. The learning approach greatly facilitates handling conflicts when they inevitably arise.
• Clarify individual objectives and build mutual commitment to them Partnerships necessarily focus upon a collective objective, but, in practice, partners each have their own objectives as well. A company that does not reach profit targets, an NGO not responding to equity concerns, or a municipality incapable of working with its constituency are not effective partners. Collective evaluation processes should be put in place to measure performance regularly and identify ways to address variations.
• Design around current and potential comparative competencies Assessments should be made about the competencies that are present, those that are needed, and how to fill the gap. The core competencies framework for organisational sectors can be useful for guiding this analysis and action planning.
• Treat difference as an opportunity Differences are sources of frustration, but when a traditional business better understands the livelihoods of the poor and an NGO better understands engineering complexities and management approaches, better system construction and maintenance processes can be developed.