There is more to gain - Research Yvette Krist

THERE IS MORE TO GAIN: Exploring the critical success factors for collaborations between businesses and community organizations that emerged from the MO040 Dinner

by Yvette Krist, International development management student

There is a growing demand for answering social issues. Consequently, the number of socially responsible "cross-sector collaborations" are increasing at a rapid pace. Cross-sector collaborations are collaborations between organizations from different sectors, such as the public and private sectors, working together to create value for both. The MO040 Dinner brings these sectors together, the dinner connects companies and civil society organizations which can be a possible start of a collaboration. As part of my study 'International development management' at van Hall-Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, I conducted research on what the effect of cross-sector collaborations are and the following research question was created:

Re 1: What factors increase the likelihood of successful collaboration?

For the research, a literature review was conducted on the success factors of cross-sector collaborations and the following six factors were selected based on being crucial in a collaboration and common in the literature:

1. Joint goals
   Putting together shared goals gives the partnership identity and the opportunity to grow. Also, partners can be found with the same perception on an issue which unites them.
2. Appropriate partners
   Previous research shows that many collaborations fail because the partners are not a good fit.
3. Trust
   is one of the most important factor, without trust a cooperation cannot exist. For example, it is important to have confidence that the partner will keep the agreements.
4. Equivalent power
   In many collaborations, power is equal to the resources brought into the collaboration. Usually a company has more resources to contribute, making a CSO dependent on the company in the collaboration. As a result, the power is unequal.
5. Deployment
   To cooperate with a company or organization of another sector. Commitment manifests itself in form of time, resources, people and degree of effort
6. Communication
   is important in achieving mutual understanding for shared goals. Frequent and open communication is important in building trust.

Re 2: To what extent are the selected factors applicable to the matches made during the 2015 and 2016 MO040 Dinner?

To examine the impact of the collaborations, a survey was conducted of 20 attending businesses and 20 community organizations from the 2015 and 2016 MO 040 Dinner. The survey tested the factors that contribute to successful collaborations for attendance. Furthermore, the motives for entering into collaborations were examined, what people thought about the collaborations and what the added value of Together for Eindhoven was in this.

- Successful match
75% of the respondents indicated that a match made at the dinner received a follow-up, in the form of a collaboration. The 25% of respondents who did not experience a follow-up match indicated the following reasons:

- There were other expectations
- There were no suitable partners
- No contact was made after the match.

- Drivers for companies to participate in the MO040 Dinner:

1. Meeting corporate social responsibility policies
2. Access to a network
3. Improving the image

- For CSOs, the following drivers are important:

1. Access to a network
2. Access to knowledge
3. Name recognition.

- Results achieved
What respondents ultimately got out of the collaboration differed slightly in motivation.

The results obtained for companies are as follows:
1. Corporate social responsibility policies have been met
2. Access to a network
3. Receiving appreciation from employees

What the CSOs got out of the collaborations is:
1. Access to knowledge
2. Access to a network
3. Expanding activities.

- Joint goals
The majority of respondents indicated that joint goals have been established; of these, the majority also indicated that these goals are in line with their organization's mission. The goals that have been set are mainly about:

- Contribution of partners in time, resources and people
- The expected results
- The roles and tasks of the partners.

- Appropriate partners
Research shows that businesses and community organizations find the following factors important in a partner.

1. Both indicate that having a click is one of the most important reasons for entering into cooperation with a partner
2. Companies consider trusting a partner important
3. CSOs find shared goals an important factor

- Trust
Almost all businesses and CSOs indicated that there was enough trust in the partner.

- Power
A large proportion of businesses and CSOs indicate that cooperation was equal. A smaller number but still the majority indicated disagreement with the statement, "the one who pays is in control.

- Contribution
Most companies and organizations indicate that their own organization's contribution and partner's contribution are found valuable.

- Communication
The majority of respondents indicated that internal communication was adequate as was the quality of communication.

- The cooperation: there is more to gain
When asked what the respondents missed in the cooperation, the majority indicated that they did not miss anything; in addition, a relative number of respondents indicated that they missed continuation. Most of the companies and civil society organizations are satisfied with the cooperation they have had and are satisfied with the connection that has been made. In addition, a number of respondents indicated that the cooperation went fine but that more could have been achieved or that the cooperation was somewhat disappointing.

What role does Together for Eindhoven play in the process of cross-sector collaborations?
Several results of the survey show that the added value of Samen voor Eindhoven lies in making the match and monitoring the process. On the other hand, it appears that points of improvement for Samen voor Eindhoven are also the monitoring of the process; there is a need for more stimulation and assistance during the collaboration indicated by both companies and civil society organizations.

Conclusion
From the results it can be concluded that the factors influencing the effect of the cooperation were present in most of the companies and CSOs. Also, the largest group is satisfied with the cooperation and the match that was made. A part (27%) of the respondents miss stimulation and assistance during the cooperation. In addition, a number of respondents indicated that continuity is missing and that more could be gained from the cooperation (26%).

The collaborations that came out of the 2015 and 2016 MO040 Dinner were mostly ad hoc collaborations. These mainly involve exchanging knowledge, time and people to create value for each other.

A number of respondents indicated that they would like to see continuity of the cooperation in which effort has been put into building it up. A number of respondents also feel that there is more to be gained from the cooperation, in the form of more commitment and longer-term thinking.

Recommendations
Through a focus group, survey respondents engaged in conversation with the staff of Together for Eindhoven to explore together how to generate continuity of collaborations and create greater impact. The results of the session combined with the results of the survey led to the following recommendations:

1. Schedule an evaluation session for MO dinner participants where they can ask their questions and share their needs. The need for stimulation and assistance will be met with this session. Furthermore, calling the participants about the status of the collaboration can be replaced by the session.
2. MO dinner organizers only accept specific agreements before a match is received. The likelihood of not being contacted is reduced when agreements are specific. Also, the quality of the match/cooperation is improved when goals are clear from the first moment.
3. In the booklet offered prior to the MO dinner, ' the MO dinner game rules' are added. It contains the following rules:
   -Have a proactive attitude. The focus is on making valuable matches and not the most matches.
   -The person making the match is present when the match is transferred to another employee. This keeps the enthusiasm intact and maintains the important factors that contribute to a successful collaboration.
4. Organize a preparatory workshop for both companies and civil society organizations where dreams and wishes for the society of Eindhoven in the theme of the upcoming MO dinner are shared. The theme of the MO dinner is chosen by the actuality and need of the society. When the dreams and wishes are expressed to each other, the impact that a cooperation can bring about goes up.