Partnerships a mixed blessing, research finds

An eight-month Cultural Enquiry exploring the benefits and challenges of partnership working has culminated with the publication of a report that reveals the diverse nature of partnership through a wide range of initiatives at a national, regional and local level. ‘The art of partnering’ explains that that there is no clear consensus in the cultural sector as to what constitutes a partnership, and that while many of the participants in the research welcomed the creative thinking and flexibility that is enabled by a loose definition of ‘partnership’, for some “the lack of a shared understanding of its dynamics reduced partnership to just window dressing”.

The Enquiry studied the role that partnerships play in enabling publicly funded cultural institutions to enhance the quality and diversity of their work, and the implications of this for cultural practitioners. It looked specifically at how partnerships can support the strategic aims of cultural organisations, help them to serve broader audiences and provide value for money.

Researchers found that cultural organisations recognise partnerships as being critical for survival, and most reported positive outcomes from those they have been involved in. But this was “tempered by some weariness of partnerships experienced as unequal, chaotic, insensitive or inefficient”. Partnerships that are imposed, rather than grow organically, tend to be viewed with suspicion, especially “when this is perceived as a tool only to save money”. Indeed, researchers found it difficult to determine value for money, on the grounds that “too narrow a focus on monetary benefits will lose the value added benefits of partnership that are less easy to quantify… partnership was often inspired by other motivations, such as artistic impact, social impact or impact on the audience.”

The research team was led by BBC’s Head of Creative Partnerships, Jane Ellison, on secondment to King’s College, London. Its programme of Cultural Enquiries was established two years ago to provide a neutral space for the cultural sector to “address shared questions, opportunities and challenges.”

Deborah Bull, Assistant Principal at King’s, described this latest Enquiry as providing “the most comprehensive overview to date of partnership in the arts and cultural sector,” something that will “help to generate a deeper understanding of the nature, practice and complexities that make partnering, at its best, an art”.