El proceso de paz entre el gobierno colombiano y las FARC-EP en La

the availability of sufficient resources to manage the cooperation as well as mutual commitment to the partnership. It can also be stated that synergies between the partners involved in a collaboration and the preplanning of procedures enhances the effectiveness of the engagement. The business sector additionally argues that the satisfaction and motivation of employees contributes to successful operations whereas humanitarian aid workers note that the separation of responsibilities and the appropriate engagement of stakeholders are assisting factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Finally, both sectors agree that the independence of partners and their operations is important for the success of a collaboration and they also believe that stereotypes between partners complicate partnership activities.

Based on these outcomes the major factors commercial logistics companies and humanitarian aid organisations require to build successful partnerships will be delineated in the following section.

4.3 Concluding critical success factors (CSF) for cross-sector collaborations

The previously analysed findings of the questionnaire highlight the respondents‟ attitudes toward various characteristics that may be essential when engaging in a corporate-humanitarian collaboration. Consequently, it is now

appropriate to identify the main critical success factors that commercial logistics providers and humanitarian aid organisations should fulfil when partnering in the field of humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

First, the features that humanitarian aid organisations require in order to be considered by commercial logistics companies to be a viable business partner are highlighted. Based on the findings, logistics providers put emphasis on the partner‟s geographic scope of operation, the public awareness that can be achieved, and finally the reputation of the partnering organisation in their selection process.

According to businesses, humanitarian aid agencies, require first of all sufficient resources, including highly motivated and satisfied employees who show dedication to the collaboration and are open to changes in their organisational culture and their daily activities. Additionally, a certain level of process transparency, honesty, and trust towards the partnering business are of importance. Also of importance is the possession of similar core competencies with regards to logistics, as the crucial area of the humanitarian aid organisation that requires support from the commercial company.

In order to determine the scope, area, and timeframe of business assistance, clear engagement rules which preferably are long-term, need to be negotiated before finally engaging in a collaboration. Formulation of the overall vision of the cooperation, and agreement on this vision by both sides, seems to be a further assisting feature for corporate-business collaborations. Shared vision may also support the achievement of mutual goals and expectations, so that both partners can equally benefit from the cooperation. The process of transferring best practices and know-how, as well as striving to efficiently solve problems and to accomplish necessary activities in a timely manner, may further contribute to successful relations.

The commercial logistics sector further believes that synergies between partners which may be related to similar values that drive the search for a partnering organisation as well as the beforehand planning of procedures and communication channels between partners assist in collaborations.

Finally, logistics providers find it important that despite their cooperating with a humanitarian aid organisation by supporting and improving their logistics processes, responsibility for the collaboration should be shared by both partners: rather than the commercial company taking-over complete coordination of the partnership‟s operations.

Considering the humanitarian aid organisation‟s point of view with regard to the success factors their business partner needs to fulfil, the following can be said. First, the partner‟s geographic scope in terms of operations and network, the availability of material and financial resources, as well as the company‟s public image are regarded as the most important considerations when searching for a potential partner in a logistics company.

According to relief workers, businesses require a high level of flexibility with regard to their ability to adapt to sudden changes in demand and in the working environment, as well as their willingness to conform to the cultural values of the humanitarian aid organisation. Additionally, firms should have a clear understanding of the constraints humanitarian field personnel has to face when providing disaster relief.

Rapid access to the partner‟s provided resources and services paired with adequate and competitive pricing are features that humanitarian aid workers place value on. When engaging in a partnership with a commercial logistics company, relief workers acknowledge that an honest approach with transparent and efficient processes of all aspects involved should be developed in order to enhance the success of the collaboration. Moreover, the resources and services provided by the logistics provider need to be determined in a partnership agreement: preferably on a long-term basis. Also, mutual goals and a clear vision of the cooperation, which both partners agree on, need to be formulated in advance.

For the purpose of achieving mutual benefit, aid workers assume that the sharing of knowledge with regard to best practices, logistics expertise, and overall process efficiency, as well as mutual trust, are crucial prerequisites that partner firms need to fulfil. Nevertheless, a certain level of independence between partners should be maintained during the cooperation, which can be supported by the separation of responsibilities. In order to achieve a common communication platform, the deployment of a partnership broker that facilitates the pairing of the humanitarian aid organisation and the commercial logistics provider is a strategy preferred by humanitarian aid agencies. Taking advantage of the expertise of a professional broker (e.g. internal employee or external broker) who promotes the partnership may also enhance the collaboration‟s internal and public profile.

Another quality the humanitarian aid agency‟s partner requires is the appropriate and effective management of stakeholders involved in the

collaboration. Considering the vast numbers of individuals involved in disaster relief operations, the adequate coordination of these individuals may contribute to the efficient accomplishment of relief operations.

Finally, determining and planning of partnership processes in advance, paired with staff committed to the collaboration and possible synergies between partners, are each believed to be supporting critical success factors.

In summary, the critical success factors both commercial logistics companies and humanitarian aid organisations agree to be important in corporate-humanitarian collaborations are illustrated in Figure 4.18 below:

FIGURE4.18:CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR CORPORATE-HUMANITARIAN COLLABORATIONS

To conclude, it can be stated that the above listed critical success factors that both sectors rated as being important represent a reliable framework upon which corporate-humanitarian collaborations can be built. Besides these characteristics, businesses and humanitarian aid agencies need to find the most appropriate way of dealing with the partner‟s different organisation cultural

Partner‘s geographic scope Partner‘s public image

Partner‘s availability of sufficient resources Clear engagement rules and partnership agreement

Mutual benefits Clear vision/mission and goals

Transfer of know-how and knowledge acquisition Maintaining of independence of partners

Process transparency Mutual commitment of partners

Mutual trust

Planning of partnership operations in advance Partner‘s flexibility to adapt to different modus

operandi and working environment Synergies between partner organisations

principles and constraints according to their unique partnership in order to be able to obtain the maximum benefit from the partnership.

The findings also confirm to the greatest extent the most important success factors for cross-sector collaborations in humanitarian aid and disaster relief that are emphasised in current academic literature. Especially, mutual trust and transparency as stated by Tennyson (2003) are characteristics most of the respondents rated as being crucial in partnerships. Transparency is often regarded as an essential requirement in order to build trust between partners to which Bryson, Crosby, and Stone (2006) refer to as being the lubricant and glue in the cooperation. Accompanying this factor is the commitment of individuals involved in the cooperation to further enhance the partnership‟s outcome.

The majority of respondents agree that sufficient resources, such as financial assets, technologies and expertise, as well as services and their assessment in advance, contribute to effective partnership processes. This is confirmed by Simo and Bies (2007) who state that sufficient organisational capacity is crucial to achieving mutual goals. Closely related to this observation is the importance of each partner‟s agreement on engagement rules and expectations for the purpose of increasing the focus of the collaboration.

The findings clearly show that the independence of the partners is an important criterion for both the logistics industry and the humanitarian aid sector. This finding, however, could not be drawn from recent academic literature

emphasised as a critical success factor for corporate-humanitarian

collaborations. Additionally, the partner‟s geographic scope of operation and presence as well as its flexibility are further characteristics in the findings of this report that are not explicitly mentioned by academics as being crucial for successful partnerships.

Overall, commercial logistics providers and humanitarian aid organisations need to be aware of the potential risks that are involved in corporate- humanitarian collaborations and must discuss openly an exit strategy for both partners before a partnership is entered into. Additionally, key performance indicators used to evaluate the performance of the partnership operations need to be in place, so that the strengths and weaknesses of partnership practices can be made visible to the partners and to the public and effectively remediated.

Chapter five follows, which looks at existing collaborations between

5. CHAPTER FIVE: MODEL PARTNERSHIPS IN