However, policy debates are often narrowly confined to a discussion of new institutional structures and management arrangements as evidenced by the plethora of initiatives I see all over the world which are often stimulated by government departments. It could be that this over-emphasis on structural and organisational imperatives understates or even neglects the pivotal contribution of individual actors (change agents) in the collaborative process, and their ability to apply collaborative skills and mindsets to common local and global challenges.
But, what are these skills, abilities and personal qualities? How much do we know about them? What makes a sustainability practitioner effective in working in collaborative environments? And what training and development opportunities are appropriate? These questions have been a focus for me and our team at SustainUs for some years and I attempt to explore the competency framework underpinning collaborative behaviour from the perspectives, views and attitudes of environmental and sustainability officers in various roles (private and public sectors) across a number of countries including, Australia, and the UK.
Perspectives on collaborative working
Our experience has explored the views of what I call "professional sustainability change agents", meaning that it is their job to drive sustainability in their organisation. Some of the more interesting reflections and comments are summarised below:
Mainstream or bolt-on?
An overwhelming proportion of those I have spoken with (approx 93 per cent) consider that cross-boundary activity is an integral part of their job. This is clearly important given that almost all my sustainability colleagues feel that working in partnership is essential to the success of their particular projects.
Barriers to inter-organisational working: ‘turf’, bureaucracy, professionalism and culture
The history of interagency working is peppered with problems relating to the boundaries of organisational responsibility or ‘turf’. Career enhancement, challenges to professional integrity, debates about strategic direction versus traditional priorities, and potentially confusing accountabilities constitute real barriers to effective interaction. However, the sustainability professionals are very clear on this issue – approx 80 per cent disagree that defining the boundaries of organisational working is more important than solving problems together.
Many case studies that examine multi-agency initiatives frequently report that the dogged application of bureaucratic rules and practices and the influence of professionalism constitute significant stumbling blocks to effective cross boundary work. Terms such as ‘tribalism’ and ‘professional or departmental silos’ are used to emphasise the powerful effect that professionalism has on individual behaviour.
However the position on professional standards and practices is less clear cut. Differences in organisational culture can also represent a formidable barrier to joint working and a source of friction for those who operate within such arenas.
An interest in ‘otherness’
Working in partnership clearly demands an ability to understand other organisations or departments and ‘this depends on representatives making a real effort to empathise with and respect one another’s values and perspectives’. A large majority of people I speak with disagree with the statement that the culture and attitudes of people in other organisations does not
interest them, in fact many are very interested in what goes on in another department. In contrast, many of people I have spoken with believe they can empathise with colleagues in other organisations while a high proportion feel they are trusted by these same people, and even more managers reported getting considerable job satisfaction from this aspect of their work.
Styles of working
A recent report argues that working together helps to create understanding between different agencies and challenges the negative stereotypes of different agencies’ cultures. It also argues that the role of ‘network brokers’ is to bring potential sustainability partners together ‘enabling them to explore common interest and the potential benefits of co-working and of course accelerate the process of sustainable outcomes’.
Many concur with the view that informal ways of working are more important than formal ones in cross-boundary relationships. A networking style of operation does have potential problems particularly in relation to its reliance on informality and personal and social relationships. The tensions between the cultivation of personal relationships and accountability to the ‘home’ organisation need sensitive management. In addition, personal relationships are inherently unstable and very exclusive, giving rise to ‘cliques’ of various kinds.
Entrepreneurial flair and creativity
An argument can be made which suggests that many of the policies, mindsets and paradigms of the past have not worked successfully. Hence, a premium is placed on sustainability practitioners and policy makers who can demonstrate entrepreneurial skills, innovation and creativity. These
are people who are prepared to take risks, reject constraints and obstacles and able to identify and characterised by friendliness, approachability, openness and a sense of humour; In terms of the interpersonal arena, collaborative working places a premium on being able to engage effectively with people from all sorts of background, organisation and position. The competencies that emerge from these change agents include:
- caring qualities demonstrated by patience, honesty, understanding, empathy, sensitivity, trustworthiness and respect.
- communication which accounts for ten per cent of the total distribution in its own right but also includes listening and presentational skills;
- political skills which reflect the nature of the collaborative environment - diplomacy, political sensitivity, negotiation, mediation and advocacy;
- capacity building as evidenced in the use of facilitation, networking and consensus building approaches.
- resilience which probably reflects the difficulty of the task and the often time consuming and protracted processes involved. Hence, the references to tenacity, stamina, determination, perseverance and so on;
- self-confidence which is about enthusiasm, commitment, assertiveness and motivation;
- professionalism as evidenced in qualities such as objectivity, reliability and consistency;
- flexibility of approach and mindset to embrace difference;
- personability to be effective and acceptable in social situations - an extrovert personality
Training and development
A crucial question arising from the above experience is that while it may well be possible to develop learning opportunities to assist in the acquisition of particular skills such as facilitation or communication, given the importance attributed to personal characteristics and traits, are there severe limitations on the ability of training to affect this type of competency?
When you ask most people in the field of sustainability most will respond that they have not received any training and development in collaborative working over the last two years, which is cause for concern.
However most respondents consider themselves to be associated with entrepreneurial behaviour. Many state that they make things happen, many are also prepared to take risks while a few have a track record of being innovative; but also find it difficult iin identifying and mobilizing resource opportunities to support their work.
Finally, it is most disturbing to find that only about one third agree with the statement that they get all the support they need from their organisations to engage in collaborative work to enable sustainability to happen. This may be symptomatic of the low profile of sustainable development in some organisations and/or the low status of sustainability change agents. We would really value your feedback on this. If you are an existing member of SustainUs, you can post your comments at the end of this article.
Rank Competency
1. Communication
2. Facilitation
3. Patience
4. Knowledge of Sustainability Issues
5. Enthusiasm
6. Listening
7. Networking
8. Interpersonal
9. Diplomacy/Tact
10. Openness
Figure 1: Top ten individual competencies for Sustainability Change Agents
The demand for training from Sustainability officers who consider they have not received enough opportunities shows a preference in six areas: interpersonal skills; capacity building techniques; managing change projects and strategy; collaboration and partnership working; working in teams and groups; and understanding organisations. In general, workshops and seminars are seen as the most practical way of delivering the majority of these demands. There was also mention of joint training to enhance the collaborative culture between different stakeholders.
People as well as organisational models
Working across boundaries has assumed increased importance in the search for solutions to complex societal problems, and people operating in this environment need particular types of job competencies to be up to this challenge. The experience of SustainUs suggests that the nature of these competencies with environmental managers and sustainability coordinators are very complex to enable effective collaborative working.
It is a matter of some concern that many sustainability colleagues feel they do not receive enough support from their organisations to be effective collaborative workers, and this is borne out by the generally poor training and development opportunities that have been undertaken by them. This is perhaps not unusual given the lack of attention that is accorded by many organisations to the competency profiles of sustainability professionals. The time has come for a much greater emphasis to be placed on the role of people in collaborative working relationships as opposed to organisational and managerial models.
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