Learning objectives
How do I:
understand definitions, rationale, key concepts and public policy associated with stakeholder partnerships in healthcare settings?
identify stakeholder groups essential to quality health service delivery?
use the success factors associated with effective partnerships?
evaluate real-world situations, undertake a stakeholder analysis and recommend key points for stakeholder engagement?
reflect on the skills associated with developing, formalising and maintaining effective stakeholder partnerships?
Introduction
This chapter outlines how partnering with stakeholders is important for quality health service management and healthcare delivery, and highlights common patterns that drive partnership-based public policy. It also provides an introduction to concepts associated with partnering in health services, defining key terms and discussing the managerial skills or competencies required to engage with stakeholders and implement partnership-based policy. The interests of key stakeholders within the health sector are identified and discussed, and important steps are outlined for a manager undertaking a stakeholder analysis. Finally, the chapter explores the factors essential to successful partnerships and the competencies managers need to successfully develop and maintain stakeholder partnerships.
Definitions
The roots of contemporary whole-of-government and partnership-based public policies are evident in economic development theory dating back 25 years or more (Brownie, 2007). During the 1990s, a number of leading economic development theorists wrote of networked and associational approaches as being essential for local development and economic success (Cooke & Morgan, 1998; Morgan, 1997; Morgan & Nauwelaers, 1999). In 2001, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2001) noted that governments across most of its member countries worked in partnerships involving the public, provider and not-for-profit sectors, plus partners from the wider community.