Collaborations are an effective way to tap into new sources of revenue, gain access to new audiences and donors, benefit from other organizations' talents, and gain visibility in the community. However, partnerships frequently fail to produce the intended results, require more resources than expected, or seem to fizzle out without a clear cause. In some cases, alliances even become the tail that wags the dog, and pull an organization far from its mission. Creative Alliances offers systematic frameworks to guide your thinking about these challenging opportunities.
Creative Alliances is taught by two of the faculty from our roster of experts in alliances and entrepreneurship both inside and outside of the cultural sector.
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Walter W. Powell, Ph.D.
Stanford University -
Jeannette Colyvas, M.A.
Northwestern University
Key Learning
Creative Alliances goes beyond "how to" workshops on partnerships and focuses on two critical questions: Under what circumstances are alliances appropriate for your mission, needs and environment? And, if undertaken, what form should these initiatives take and what factors will aid their success? By the end of the seminar, you will be able to:
- Analyze the benefits, costs and risks of strategic alliances and partnerships
- Distinguish among different types of strategic alliances and partnership opportunities
- Articulate why you would or would not choose to pursue various alliance possibilities
- Use frameworks provided in the course to enhance the quality of your decisions
- Apply the concepts and tools in the course to your own organization and circumstances
Seminar Sessions
Day One
Session 1: A Strategic Approach to Alliances
You explore alliances as a systematic and strategic activity, examining processes for successful partnerships, the risks in alliances, and the value of collaborative versus independent action for an organization.
Session 2: Network Mapping
Through a team-based exercise, you begin to map key relationships for your organization. This work provides a foundation for exercises and discussions throughout the seminar.
Session 3: Partnership Structure
In this session, you identify different types of partnerships, and examine their fit and strengths through class discussion and case studies.
Day Two
Session 1: Alliance Tactics
You discuss a case study from an emerging entertainment industry to expose ways that an organization can strengthen its position through tactical alliances.
Session 2: Analyzing Network Maps
Using the concepts from previous sessions, you analyze the strengths, gaps, and opportunities hidden in network maps, with the faculty facilitating discussion of maps created during the seminar.
Session 3: Building Communities of Common Interest
New alliances can affect the broader arts and cultural community. In this session, the faculty share research on cooperation and competition in other industries, and lead a discussion about the implications for arts communities.
Session 4: Mergers
Mergers are the most complex form of partnership. In this session, you analyze a case study from the arts and cultural sector to understand the unique challenges and opportunities in nonprofit mergers.
Recommended Team
Creative Alliances is designed for your top program, management, and board leadership. We recommend a team of three or more people; large organizations should consider sending larger teams. In selecting your team, it will be helpful to include:
- Your senior-level program, management, and board leadership
- Senior-level development, outreach, program, and other staff with responsibility for external relationships
- Influential representatives of key stakeholder groups (for example, you may wish to invite leaders from other arts organizations with whom you are considering partnerships)
