Collaborations

Experience shows us that organisations that work in effective collaboration with others are stronger for it. Some collaborations are born from the desire to pool resources to solve a common, complex issue. Others help amplify voices and multiply influence. Whatever your motivation, Lucent loves supporting collaborations between organisations and across sectors.

We will help you to build the trusted, honest relationships needed from the start. We pay attention to the detail of good governance - from developing clear, agreed terms of engagement to statements of common purpose - and will give you the space and time to get to know each other more deeply.

We support your collaboration to grow and flourish, which is why a number of collaborations have engaged us over many years.

Among the collaborations we support are the Irish Sea Network, West Yorkshire Hospice Collaborative and Foundations for Social Justice.

For organisations:

who want to work with others to pool resources, amplify influence and accelerate change.

Lucent’s job is to:

be the neutral, independent eyes and ears in the room, spotting emerging opportunities and tensions and helping you develop your collaborative efforts at the right pace.

You get:

tools that have worked to support collaborations in different settings; the identification of areas of common motivation; and the emotional intelligence to spot and resolve issues early.

Start your journey

Here’s how we can support your collaboration.

Inception

We start by supporting you to define the objectives of your collaboration journey and considering who should be involved.

Interviews or focus groups help us better understand the motivations and working styles of the different partners involved.

Workshops to develop a shared vision and collective maps

We deliver structured, purposeful workshops online or in-person to help you create a common map of the issues you are facing and potential ways forward.

We know that change is the result of multiple factors so we help you define what your collaboration uniquely can contribute to that change.

Facilitation and support to your meetings

We can advise on running effective collaborative meetings, making sure that the agenda covers the issues that matter most and take the role of independent chair if required.

Mapping how you might develop your collaboration

Each collaboration is different and as you grow in confidence the support you need to deliver is likely to change. We can offer you independent guidance as you take those next steps, developing costed options for your future.

We can test these out independently with a range of stakeholders – including funders – to see what might work for your particular circumstances.

Throughout the guided process, you’ll get:

Our catalogue of tried and tested approaches work with collaborations, even those forged from organisations of very different scales or backgrounds. We design inclusive events that engage all voices in honest, productive and creative conversations, anticipating and correcting the power dynamics that emerge in the room.
We share our insights with you regularly, naming what is working and where there is stretch. We can map good and next practice in your field to help you use the best available tools and set the pace for this work.
We will leave you with resources – for example, a new stakeholder map or fresh approach to risk analysis – that you can continue to adapt and grow as your needs develop. And we are always delighted when our tools and ways of working are adopted by teams who find they add value to their daily work.
We have model terms of reference and frameworks for joint vision statements to take the pain out of the first stages of the collaboration and help you focus on the work of forging and deepening relationships.