Staffing a Joint Working Venture

Increasingly voluntary organisations are working in collaboration on specific projects, thus benefiting from pooled resources, access to specialist skills and the opportunity to work on projects otherwise outside their reach. Like all projects success comes from have the right framework and the right team. It is worth taking the time to think through some fundamentals. These are just a few thoughts.

Contractual framework

How are you going to contract employees to work on a collaborative joint venture (CJV)? Do they continue on their existing contract? Do terms and conditions need to be altered? Is there a need for a completely separate contract for the period of the CJV? This will depend on the arrangement and agreements between the partners. It should ensure that the terms and conditions support the work that is required, and does not give rise to tensions between members of staff.

Roles and responsibilities

These should be clearly scoped and defined, so that reporting lines are understood and expectations are crystal clear. The next step is to agree ways of working to implement roles and responsibilities that bridges the custom and practice of all partners. It is usually the everyday practical ways of doing things that can be cause of harmony or discourse. “This is the way we always do it!” Just because that is the way it is done in one organisation, it may not suit the CJV. The leader or manager of the project should be agreeing not just what needs to be done but also how it can be done.

Accountability

Agreement on how accountability will be implemented is essential. The project leader may or may not be the employee’s direct line manager and therefore there needs to be agreement on how performance issues are handled. Otherwise it can be everybody’s or nobody’s accountability – either way that will tend to lead to a muddle and cause distraction and confusion. Clear accountability will more likely lead to effective performance and success for the project.

Recruitment and Succession Planning

Having the right skill sets is obvious; pulling an effective team together can be overlooked. This needs consideration of the balance of types of team members; leaders; inspirers; team workers; balance of where they come from – domination of numbers from one partner organisation could be intimidating and defeat the purpose of a CJV; balance of power in management and supervision so that there is a sharing of decision making and responsibility.

The recruitment and skills needs may be different at different stages of a project and it can not be assumed that those who started will be there at the end. Having contingencies for different phases can be very helpful.

Communication

A clear plan with defined objectives that is effectively communicated internally and externally will give you a good start. A practice of open communication, regular updates and the opportunity to create a culture specific to the project will encourage staff engagement; buy in from all parties and a mechanism to overcome challenge. You need to talk to each other to know what is going on and know what you should be talking about!

CJV can offer interesting career development opportunities for staff; they can open doors to new work areas and provide stimulating challenges. To be successful in achieving project objectives and providing engaging employment, there are fundamentals in establishing a framework for the project and the employment, having clear management protocols and good employment practices.