The Partnerships Resource Centre (PrC)

Partnerships
Partnerships between public sector, private sector and civil society have become increasingly prominent during the past years. The three sectors are acknowledged to be interdependent, and the objectives of one sector can often only be achieved in partnership with participants from the other sectors. Partnerships are supposed to create a ‘collaborative advantage’ by generating additional knowledge and resources. From this perspective, results for sustainable development can be achieved that benefit all parties involved; results that could not have been achieved on an individual basis. However, effective partnership management faces a variety of challenges. Partnerships operate in complex environments. Firms, governmental organizations and civil society organizations often speak different languages, have diverse interests, strategies, and operate in a context of specific organizational cultures. To overcome these divides is a challenging task for partnership practitioners. Partnership management means building mutual understanding, fostering mutual respect, and focusing on joint problem solving and relationship management amongst partners.
The Partnerships Resource Centre (PrC) is built up as a flexible learning network. This implies that it is at the centre of a (virtual) network of professionals, academics and practitioners around the world that share and collect information on selecting appropriate partnerships and increasing their efficiency, impact and effectiveness.