"Involvement in the arts helps our profile. It projects our brand, pushes us into markets where our name isn't necessarily familiar… Secondly, and most importantly, involvement in arts and culture provides business development opportunities. There is very active networking at events and our involvement provides an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the public and third sectors. This paves the way to develop the partnerships that will support and maintain economic growth over the next few years."
- Richard Greer, Arup
As a time-serving freelancer I have, down the years, worked with a great many people, in all kinds of ways. I have worked directly with multi-national corporations, and tiny start-ups, social businesses and venture capitalists, butchers, bakers (although no actual candle-makers). I have worked directly with them, and I have worked through third parties - design agencies or web design companies.
The relationship has always been simple and understood. They buy my time and expertise. The process of hiring me is a straight-forward business transaction. They have a budget, they need to get something done, I do it, they pay. Easy.
But, this model is not the only one, and is certainly not the model people are looking at to solve some of the issues of scarce funding, plummeting marketing budgets, shifting media channels and tough economic conditions.
'A great idea'
Collaboration seems like the answer. And it is a great idea. Two or more parties working together for shared aims and objectives, little or no money changing hands, quick, effective action without the need to wait for budgets, funding etc.
But our models of collaboration are nowhere near as clear as this makes out. Often, collaboration is only this easy as long as nobody has any money. Independent art and culture people are good at it, mainly because they have to be.
However, whenever there is some level of inequity, new issues are raised. What happens to the spirit of collaboration when a commercial business aims to make a profit, yet expects people to 'collaborate' with them? How does collaboration differ from the old ideas of 'sponsorship', how can outcomes be measured? How do we know when something is successful. Do we measure 'shared' outcomes differently?
Recently a new British Standard – BS 11000-1:2010 - has been created for collaboration, setting out a framework for collaborative working, providing a structure for the kinds of 'twists and turns, highs and lows' of a working partnership of this kind. According to David Hawkins, the chair of the BS11000 development committee, it provides a 'map…which organisations and individuals can use to understand the issues that will influence their journey and allow lifecycle planning from concept to closure'
He continues:
"Collaboration offers the opportunity to share the flow of knowledge and experience between individuals and organisations. Moreover, it gives organisations an excellent opportunity to establish an open dialogue to generate positive changes to the dynamics of how the organisations work together to deliver benefit and add value…. It offers an alternative and enhanced capability to build new value propositions which are beyond the capabilities of an individual organisation."
This all sounds great. And I would love to tell you more, but the actual document costs £162 so I have no more info than what is in the press release.
Perhaps larger companies can acquire and share with the smaller independents who might not be able to afford £162 to find out. Does anyone use this Standard yet, or recognise it? If it is the way to formalise collaborative working, and help this new kind of business relationship become as common and simple to apply as the good old freelance arrangements, surely it would be worth it for businesses to invest in it and put it into practice?
We will be tackling this and many other issues at the next Experience Leeds event at the Queens Hotel, Leeds, at 6pm on Monday 31 January with short talks from Mike Chitty and Rebekka Kill. Find out more and register here.
Guest blogger Nick Copland is a verbal identity consultant, which means he can help you distil your most fundamental business concepts and turn them into powerfully authentic, precisely accurate statements.
