This document discusses multi-actor partnerships for innovation. It argues that partnerships between public, private and community partners have the potential to generate innovative solutions to complex problems through collaboration. The document outlines seven cross-cutting themes for successful partnerships: 1) leveraging diverse perspectives, 2) balancing innovation with accountability, 3) establishing shared language, 4) inclusive engagement, 5) professionalizing partnership brokers, 6) integrating innovations, and 7) improving knowledge management. It provides questions to guide reflection on how partnerships can promote innovation and how to address challenges in collaborative working.

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Working Paper itdUPM. ​Version 1
Multi­actor Partnerships for Innovation
From ​Public Private Partnerships​ to ​Public Private People ​Partnerships
itdUPM meeting. 13 May 2015. ​Agronomists​ Technical School, Technical University of Madrid (UPM). 13:30 ­ 15:30h
itdUPM is a centre included in the Polytechnic University of Madrid that promotes and participates in the
design, validation and implementation of innovative projects. itdUPM provides education in human
development and sustainability. Due to the practical experience gained together with its partner organizations,
itdUPM is called to generate thoughts and attitudes on key issues on the global agenda of sustainability.
During 2015, itdUPM will develop a series of starting-point papers that will contribute to stimulate the debate
on several key issues in this agenda. Each document will be the working basis of each block of the conference
of "Innovation for Development" that will be held in June.
This is the second of those documents, which is based on the participation of itdUPM in several projects, as
well as in previous documents that have been produced by different researchers and alumni of the Master in
Technology for Human Development, and the contrast meeting with various groups of interest.
Context
Partnerships have grown in popularity since the mid-1990s. At that time, coinciding with an interest in
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and concerns around public sector spending, the emphasis was very much
on the promotion of improved business engagement with other sectors of society, including government and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs). A central trend was the development of Public Private Partnerships
(PPPs) in which the public sector contracted businesses to provide services or construct infrastructure. With
time-bound delivery conditions these PPPs were hierarchical relationships involving a limited number of
stakeholders. Since then, the push for a more sustainable form of development with attention to resource
limitations and ecological thresholds, poverty, inequality and social exclusion, as well as a growing emphasis on
democratic governance and citizen’s participation in decision-making, has led to the creation of more fluid
collaborative mechanisms involving a wider range of stakeholders and more horizontal relationships between
partners. Such multi-actor partnerships are positioned as central to the post-2015 development agenda and
achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .1
One of the reasons for the centrality of multi-actor partnerships in the post-2015 development agenda is their
potential for promoting, supporting, initiating and shaping innovative solutions to “wicked problems”. Wicked
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​https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgsproposal
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problems are problems that are hard to address because of incomplete and contradictory information,
changing contexts and requirements and/or resistance to resolving them. According to the Australian
Government,
Tackling wicked problems is an evolving art. They require thinking that is capable
of grasping the big picture, including the interrelationships among the full range of
causal factors underlying them. They often require broader, more collaborative
and innovative approaches. This may result in the occasional failure or need for
policy change or adjustment​. 2
The “broader, more collaborative and innovative approaches” highlighted above include new partnerships with
higher levels of ambition and the inclusion of non–traditional actors, including citizens themselves. These
partnerships focus on the promotion of “out of the box” creative solutions to wicked problems and move away
from traditional Public Private Partnerships to Public Private People Partnerships.
Partnerships and 4P innovations
In recent work at itdUPM we have suggested that, by bringing together diverse resources, skills, competencies3
and expertise, new forms of partnership involving diverse actors public and private sectors alongside members
of local communities, can contribute to solving wicked problems through 4P Innovations. 4P innovations may4
be achieved incrementally - by doing something better, and radically - by doing something different, and
include innovations in:
● Products:​​changes in products or services
● ​Processes​: ​changes in the way that these products or services are carried out and delivered
● Positions​: ​changes in the way that products or services are presented, communicated and reframed
● Paradigms​: ​changes in the underlying mental models that shape the product or service offered
While the potential is clearly there, and theoretically there is an acceptance that working in partnership can
assist innovation, the process side of such collaboration is often a challenge. Working across different sectors,
organisations, groups and individuals is not easy. The investment of time and resources required for
collaboration to work well is usually underestimated and the important role of partnership brokers, individuals
or organisations that work to promote, position and support partnerships, is often overlooked. We clearly need
to get much better at understanding the risks and challenges of working collaboratively, and the solutions
2
​http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications-and-media/archive/publications-archive/tackling-wicked-problems
3
​Stott, L. (2014) Partnerships for Innovation in Access to Basic Services, itdUPM & IaDB
4
​Tidd, J. & Bessant, J. (2011) Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change, John Wiley
& Sons, http://www.
managing-innovation.com/teaching.php
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needed for addressing these in order to build partnerships that work more efficiently and effectively, and offer
added value to both partners and society at large. It is also important to recognise that while working in
partnership is clearly an important tool for promoting Sustainable Development, it is not a panacea and, in
some circumstances, may not be an appropriate way of working.
Cross-cutting issues
In order to more deeply explore the requirements for successful partnerships for innovation, itdUPM has begun
to explore a series of questions (see Annex 1). This discussion has led to the identification of key cross-cutting
themes related to the role that partnerships might play in promoting innovative solutions to wicked problems.
1.- Let sparks fly! Making the most of diversity
Creative thinking will flourish in collaborative spaces where boundaries can be pushed. Rather than weak
coalitions where partners seek to accommodate one another without too much disagreement, we believe that
partnerships should not shy away from confrontation, shocks and surprises. The promotion of real innovation
requires the bold sharing of diverse perspectives from different sectors so that assumptions can be questioned
or challenged and new ways of looking at things explored and shared.
2.- Create a safe space! Balancing innovation with accountability
The development of truly creative solutions to wicked problems relies upon the provision of a collaborative
space in which different partner resources and perspectives are respected. A balancing act is often needed to
ensure the provision of an organised space that enables organic thinking. This requires security and clarity
around partnership systems, structures, roles and responsibilities while ensuring that these are flexible enough
to allow for the promotion of “out of the box” ways of doing things and the accommodation of changes in
partnership contexts.
3.- Watch our words! Finding a common language
Partnerships are rarely as simple as the language used to describe them suggests. The simplistic use of
partnership definitions and terms often masks issues of power and control and disguises the complexity that
working in collaboration involves. Different national, sector and organisational “languages” may also need to be
unpacked in order to ensure that terminologies are fully understood by all stakeholders involved so that we
have realistic expectations of what partnerships can offer.
4.- Be inclusive! Engaging with non-traditional stakeholders
Partnerships that promote innovation rely upon the inclusion of an ever widening group of non-traditional
actors, including local partners and individual citizens. To ensure the inclusion of these new players, concerted
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efforts are necessary to give voice to all participants. This involves recognising the added value of different
partnership contributions and reinforcing horizontal governance structures so that hierarchies are avoided.
5.- Reinforce the partnership broker role! Acknowledge and professionalise the work of partnership brokers
Partnership brokers, be they individuals or organizations, play a vital role in stimulating, shaping, managing and
tracking the process of working together. They can help to facilitate consensus, integrate different points of view
and create a “whole picture” from different partnership pieces. As well as contextual, interdisciplinary and
technical knowledge, partnership brokers require qualities and skills such as connectivity, empathy, strategic
thinking and diplomacy. This role also rests upon the careful use of appropriate methodologies and tools that
enable process flexibility and knowledge management.
6.- Ensure sustainability! Integrate innovations into structures and systems
If collaborative working is to be sustainable, it is essential that the successful innovations developed through
partnerships are integrated into standard systems and practices. As well as a clear understanding of the
operational context and the stakeholders involved, engaging key institutions through awareness-raising and
communication activities in the work of the partnership from the start can assist this institutionalisation.
Vertical mainstreaming involving connections from top down/bottom up and policy to practice, and vice versa,
has its advantages, but it is also important to consider horizontal connections within, between and across a
wider number of institutions and actors.
7.- Systemise the learning! Improve partnership knowledge-management
Fostering innovation through partnership requires improvements in knowledge management. We need to find
more appropriate methods, tools and protocols for this purpose. As well as clarity and agreement on
co-ownership of the knowledge generated through working in partnership, frameworks for capturing
collaborative experiences and results are also needed so that learning is shared more systematically.
Opportunities for reflection and information-sharing on what works and what does not should be central to
this.
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Annex 1: Questions for reflection
1.- How does/can working in collaboration promote innovation?
● In what generic ways can working in partnership support innovation?
● What particular resources, skills, capacities, etc. ways of working may be harnessed to support
innovation?
2.- What are the key challenges of working in partnership to promote innovation?
● What obstacles might limit the effectiveness of partnerships that seek to promote innovation?
● Do they relate to particular sectors?
● Are they around people, organizations or processes?
● How might we address these challenges?
3.- What are the main requirements for organisations that act as intermediaries in partnerships for
innovation?
● What qualities, knowledge and skills are needed for an organisation to carry out this role?
● What methodologies and tools can help the work of organizations that assume this role?
4.- How can we mainstream successful 4P innovations that emerge from partnerships?
● What concrete action can be undertaken to institutionalise partnership advances/results so that
they become part and parcel of standard policy and practice?
● In what ways might we need to work vertically (links between top-down/bottom up or policy and
practice) and/or horizontally (within, across and between individuals and organisations)?
5.- When might partnerships not be the answer?
● Are there situations when working in partnership may not be the best way of promoting innovation?
● Does this relate to particular circumstances/issues/areas?
● When and why might such partnerships be unworkable?
6.- How can we improve transfer of learning about partnerships for innovation so that this is taken into
account in the post -2015 development agenda?
● What tools and methodologies can we use to increase information exchange about partnerships for
innovation?
● Who are the key players working in this space?
● How can we better share information with them?
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