The Main Reasons for the “Failure” or Ending of Partnerships
- Failure to learn and understand cultural differences between organizations.
- Insufficient role and expectations dialogue at the start.
- Lack of “checking in” and maintaining an active flow of communication.
- Failure to understand and adapt to new style of management or decision- making (sharing power), can’t break out of the competitive territorial paradigm.
- Lack of commitment to succeed, unequal levels of commitment
- Strategic vision or goal difference, an emergent difference that is significant
- Insufficient trust, leading to judgments, negative energy, and assumptions
- Operational overlap (competition).
- Unrealistic expectations.
- Failure to nurture the relationship.
- Conflict or tension avoidance – failure to deal with conflict and tensions that arise.
- An unexpected crisis for one of the parties, resulting in not being able to maintain and follow through on commitments or a full “pulling out” from the project; for example, a sudden loss of core funding for one of the organizations.