Barriers to Partnership Working

Chapter 4:
Barriers to Partnership Working

HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE AND HOUSING
PARTNERSHIP WORKING

BRIEFING NOTES FOR PRACTITIONERS AND
MANAGERS

August 2009

Chapter 4 – Barriers to Partnership Working

Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 3
THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF PARTNERSHIP BARRIERS .............................. 3
PEOPLE..................................................................................................................... 5
Roles (including power)................................................................................................ 5
Behaviour.................................................................................................................... 5
Skills and Knowledge ................................................................................................... 6

STRUCTURES........................................................................................................... 7
PROCESSES............................................................................................................. 8
Lack of Agreed Outcomes............................................................................................. 8
Decision-Making Mechanisms........................................................................................ 8
Poor Communication .................................................................................................... 9

RESOURCES ............................................................................................................ 9
Money......................................................................................................................... 9
Information ................................................................................................................. 9
Time

Bibliography: A third of public bodies experience problems in partnerships (Strachan, 2005) and some very high profile partnerships have failed in a messy and public way (Thistlethwaite 2006). Others have found the experience of partnership very painful, progress very slow and occasionally unproductive (Huxham and Vangen, 2004). Writers reflect that not acknowledging barriers to partnership is, in itself, a cause of failure (Rummery and Glendinning, 2000; Lymbery, 2006) and that it is important to (Armistead and Pettigrew, 2004) THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF PARTNERSHIP BARRIERS In analysing the barriers to, and problems with partnership working, many different authors (Keele and Strathclyde, 2006; Wistow and Hardy, 1991; Lloyd and Wait, 2006; Glasby and Lester, 2004) have offered different categories, levels and other means of presenting the issues for partnerships.