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Collaboration Readiness Check

Tom W|6mo ago
InnovationDataJust an ideaCollaboration

The Idea

Two or more orgs each answer the same set of questions about a potential partnership. Get a compatibility report showing where you're aligned, where you'll clash, and what you need to negotiate upfront. Saves the pain of finding out six months in.

The Problem

Organisations enter partnerships without surfacing misaligned expectations around governance, decision-making, risk appetite, ways of working, and goals. The friction only becomes visible months in, when it's expensive and painful to unwind.

Benefits

Surfaces hidden misalignment before it becomes conflict. Saves time, money, and relationships. Gives partnerships a stronger foundation by making the difficult conversations happen early.

How It Could Work

A structured questionnaire covering key partnership dimensions (governance, decision-making, communication, shared resources, risk, exit terms). Each org completes it independently. Responses are compared algorithmically to produce a compatibility report highlighting alignment, divergence, and areas needing upfront negotiation.

Challenges

Getting the question set right — it needs to be comprehensive without being overwhelming. Orgs may answer aspirationally rather than honestly. Needs to feel useful, not bureaucratic.

What's Stopping This

Designing and testing the question framework with real partnership scenarios. A willing cohort of orgs about to enter partnerships.

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