Benefits and Challenges of Innovating in Partnerships
In practice, many Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) fail to achieve anticipated innovation outcomes, due in part to weaknesses in social and inter-organizational relationships. PPPs typically include members separated by organizational, occupational, cultural and geographic boundaries, which can create fragmentation, disconnection and misunderstanding.
Developing sufficient trust with partners, which has been shown to affect the success of PPPs, remains a difficult issue. Different norms, values, metrics and decision-making processes can impede the flow of knowledge that is necessary for problem solving and innovation.
Innovation in partnerships in the context of parks
Opportunities
Better connect Canadians with nature; Clarify role of parks in health promotion
Leverage expertise and proven practices; Develop complementary capabilities
Involve local people in conservation
Invest in Indigenous relationships and foster reconciliation
Build new relationships with academics, not-for-profit organizations, businesses and different levels of government
Establish a collective approach to fundraising
Share knowledge across networks
Challenges
Potential for innovation not always optimized when there is lack of in-depth collaboration and teamwork
How can private actions be mediated toward common good?
How can we turn research into actions with measurable improvements?
How can we coordinate around a shared vision?
How can we prevent clashes of different cultures?
“The ability to handle partnerships is a challenge looking forward”
Ann Craig
Ontario Parks
“We have the same problems, we just call them different things”
