Collaboration Lip Service

Meeting the challenges of resource depletion, climate change, and ecosystem loss calls for improved collaboration and innovative models that drive systemic change.  Collaboration starts with the key enablers, who encourage stakeholder participation in the development of communities and link self-interest to shared interest, productive competition, and trust.

Public-, private, and civil-society enablers are called upon to communicate, cooperate, collaborate, and coordinate action for SDG-targeted development of communities in the interest of all stakeholders.  These include local, regional and national governments, businesses and their trade associations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs/CSOs) and individuals.

The sustainable development of communities and society calls for collaboration to realize shared goals, albeit out of self-interest.  For this, stakeholders must communicate, collaborate, cooperate and coordinate action to meet shared interests and to enjoy the resulting common benefit.

Cross-sectoral collaboration between the key enablers promotes sustainability in our communities and across society.  Although true collaboration is complex and difficult to achieve, the benefits for all stakeholders can be significant.

Yet, the stakeholders – public institutions, businesses and NGOs – commonly pay only lip service to collaboration.  They talk about engaging in collaborative initiatives but seldom follow through with collaborative action.  Their cooperation and contribution to the common cause are commonly shown with a well-intended thumbs-up or a call for your donation to support their initiatives.

Despite their regular call to collaborate, our attempts to cooperate are generally frustrated.  Rarely do stakeholders respond to an invitation to collaborate.  If they do reply, you are thanked for the invitation and wished good luck without them.

There is little cross-sector collaboration since it is resisted by the enablers competing for interest and financial support.  Although we are aware of the urgent need to collaborate for the protection and sustainable development of our communities, we don’t – the bitter reality of competition between the enablers.