For partnerships to be effective organisations need to get the basics right and not spread their wings too wide.
This was the message from Andrew Boraine, CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership, who spoke at the Greater Tygerberg Partnerships (GTP) annual general meeting on Tuesday December 5.
Mr Boraine said it was important to make the distinction between partnerships and partnering.
“Successful partnerships typically spend less time on governance and more on action. Start with the verb (partnering),” he said.
Mr Boraine said that while it was important to focus on the basics of managing mandates, projects, infrastructure, people and budgets, it was also important to look at those things beyond your control, such as public opinion, the media, citizen behaviour and other spheres of government.
He said partnerships between civil society, business and government were vital; they came with their own challenges, but those could be overcome by having a common purpose and vision and taking action together.
Self awareness, self management and social awareness were key to managing partnerships, he said.
GTP CEO Warren Hewitt said they had shifted their focus for the year ahead to tackle projects that could make the biggest impact and to align with the City’s new spatial development framework.
GTP’s three core strategies for the way forward were developing 24-hour economies, connected communities and facilitating urban transition.
Mr Hewitt said the Voortrekker corridor was critical to attracting investors and they would look at the 8am-to-5pm bracket and then, from 5pm, focus on the student community.
With their connected-communities strategy, they would look at the physical (CBD) and the virtual — assessing how partners were sharing information and networking.
Regarding urban transition, the GTP would focus on attracting investors to the area and keeping the right businesses in the area.