Survey highlights business communication

Shepherd+ Wedderburn/Scottish Leadership Foundation survey finds communication is key to successful business partnership

News, 21 June 2005

Communication is the most important element of a successful business partnership, according to the results of a new survey by law firm Shepherd+ Wedderburn and the Scottish Leadership Foundation.

The survey of senior executives at a range of small, medium and large companies across Scotland found that communication was rated the most important aspect of establishing a successful partnership, while funding and finance was highlighted as the lowest priority.

Similarly, finance was not seen as a major barrier to making a business partnership work. Leadership issues, different working cultures and lack of understanding between partners were seen as much more troublesome hurdles than gaining economically from the partnership.

According to Zoe van Zwanenberg, chief executive at the Scottish Leadership Foundation, successful partnerships working across several diverse sectors must establish common communication channels before any major decisions are made.

Zoe commented: “Just as a happy marriage is based on good communication between two individuals, an effective business partnership relies on good communication between two or more partners. Business partners must establish the parameters of their relationship to ensure that communication continues. They must agree what is always to be discussed in full and whether certain elements of the relationship can be left unsaid. Hiding issues and difficulties from partners is the sure way of ending it.

“Too often economic pressures are given priority over every other element of the joint venture. Although funding is usually a vital element in establishing a partnership, on a day to day basis, it rarely becomes an issue. More often, conflicting priorities and a lack of distinct leadership cause tension between partners."

Asked why organisations embark on partnerships in the first place, the responses to the survey varied from "common goals" to "sharing cost and responsibility". "Improvements to service delivery" and "an ability to achieve more" were also identified as key bonds between partners.

Several Scottish partnerships were identified by respondents as being excellent examples of how organisations from a diverse range of backgrounds can unite to address common goals. Examples include Edinburgh Waterfront and Alba Campus.