Dimension 03 of 05
Strengthen relationships
Building shared purpose between local institutions, and the relationships needed to deliver together.
Sometimes the most powerful thing about a local regeneration project is not the outcome - a building renovated, or a service delivered - but the relationships it strengthens along the way. We can work in intentional ways to build this kind of ‘relational capacity’. A project can be done in a way that fosters collaboration, or that just gets the work done.
If a Board spends ten years commissioning projects in a contractual fashion, it might leave little by way of relational capacity. If instead it invests in sustained delivery partnerships, it can help to create a place where the school, local NHS, housing association, and local charities collaborate as a matter of course - long beyond the life of the programme.
Relational work often comes down to governance - getting beyond performative governance, in which people just turn up to meetings and sign things off, to using governance to foster a shared sense of purpose and accountability.
Case studies
3 items-
The Wigan Deal (opens in a new tab)
Wigan absorbed budget cuts of 40% over 10 years by transforming the way staff worked with residents. Front-line staff were supported to take a more asset-based approach, starting from what residents could contribute rather than just focusing on people’s needs. The Deal for Communities Investment Fund invested £10m into local organisations.
Note that the Deal has since been succeeded by Progress with Unity, an initiative building on this earlier work.
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The Plymouth Alliance (opens in a new tab)
25 separate contracts for people with complex needs were consolidated in 2019 into a single alliance of eight organisations - the council plus seven charities and social enterprises - sharing one budget rather than competing for several.
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Collaboration pacts (opens in a new tab)
Since 2014 residents have been able to sign a formal pact with the city taking responsibility for a public space or building. Around 480 had been signed by October 2018. The council also established an Active Citizenship Office - a named council function to receive and broker resident proposals.
Most relevant practical materials
5 items-
Facilitating meetings (opens in a new tab)
Free
A guide to facilitation, covering agenda design, the arc of a meeting, active listening, synthesis, techniques for large groups and a troubleshooting section.
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Tool
Working with Conflict in Our Groups (opens in a new tab)
Free
A booklet of exercises for groups in conflict, including active listening in threes, conflict escalation mapping and a framework for informal mediation.
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What enables good relationships between resident-led groups and local government? (opens in a new tab)
Free
Five enabling factors for relationships between resident-led groups and local government, drawn from 150 partnerships, including a case study spanning three council tiers.
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Tool
Net-Map (opens in a new tab)
A mapping method designed to surface the links between organisations and the influence each organisation holds.
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Course
Community leadership training (opens in a new tab)
A six-day residential course on relational meetings, storytelling, power analysis and negotiation, accredited by Birmingham Newman University.
Other creative ways to explore this dimension
7 items-
Talk
Social services are broken, and how we can fix them (opens in a new tab)
Free
A talk by Hilary Cottam on a family eligible for support from 73 different agencies, but receiving little real help - and what changed when a team began to centre relationships instead
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Talk
Start with what is strong, not what is wrong (opens in a new tab)
Free
An introduction by Cormac Russell to the concept of asset-based community development.
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Tool
Net-Map (opens in a new tab)
A method for mapping organisation and the links between them, and surfacing the influence that each organisation has over an outcome.
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Tool
Working with Conflict in Groups (opens in a new tab)
Free
A booklet of exercises for groups in conflict, including active listening, conflict escalation mapping, and a framework for informal mediation.
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Book
Radical Help (opens in a new tab)
A book by Hilary Cottam exploring the power of a more relational approach to the state and public services.
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Book
Palaces for the People (opens in a new tab)
A book by Eric Klinenberg on social infrastructure - libraries, parks, swimming pools - as the physical basis of community life.
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Visit
Power of Community meetings (opens in a new tab)
Day-long regional meetings hosted in a member organisation, so that participants can see how the host organisation works and meet their peers.