This is a critical question when it comes to partnering, because without ‘buy in’ from all the partners your partnering is likely to go nowhere. But how do we get and maintain ‘buy in’?

Getting ‘buy in’ is all about commitment. But how do we know when we have this commitment from all the partners and they will be accountable for their commitments?

One of the first steps is recognising that for partners to ‘buy in’ to a partnering initiative that was not their idea there has to be a strong value proposition for them to do so. Will the partnering help the organisations achieve their strategic objectives? How aligned is the initiative with their strategic goals? How will the partnering help them achieve their personal KPI’s? So trying to understand their organisational and personal drivers is key.

For partners to ‘buy in’ they truly have to make it a part of their core business. What is really challenging is when partners say all the right things but just don’t deliver. This is where it is critical for all partners to keep each other accountable, to check if all partners are contributing to the partnering  – are they continuing to turn up at meetings? Are they delivering on what they said they would? Have there been any changes in their organisations directions that could impact on their level of ‘buy in’?

Consistent ‘buy in’ by all partners is crucial to having a sustainable partnering process – so how is your partnership fairing? What challenges are you finding with ‘buy in’? And what strategies have you used to increase ‘buy in’ from all partners?

We often find that while the individuals who engage at the partnering table make real progress, unless they have support back within each of their organisations little action will take place.

Likewise if we have great support internally in one partner but very little within another it is likely the partnership will hit some hurdles and will not be sustainable.

One neat way to tackle this challenge is to use ‘the zipper approach’. This is where people across the partner organisations at various levels are connected into the partnering process, so you may have CEO’s, Senior Managers and then operational staff linked to each other and supporting the partnering at each level.

In this way you move beyond the individuals partnering to organisations partnering. This will result in significant benefits, such as:

• allowing better continuity when people come and go from the partnership
• ensuring good engagement, commitment and ownership within each partner
• leading to a more sustainable partnership

So when looking to build that buy in and commitment from all the partners you may want to zip it up!!