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Oz-e-Culture Conference Presentation 14 June 2001 Getting to know you - partnerships and relationships between the cultural sector and the information technology industry. What each have to contribute to the other. Presented by Carolyn Guerin, Internet Consultant and previously Director of Projects, Sausage Interactive I am considering this topic in the context of examining some of the practical issues for cultural sector organisations in dealing with the establishment of partnerships with IT industry players. While aimed at organisations in the early part of the cycle of interest, I suspect the same issues will hold for individual artists. Larger flagship arts organisations have some distinct advantages over smaller organisations, but there are many interesting opportunities out there for partnerships in the IT sector. Why Partner? By way of preface, it is useful to ask the question: why partner with IT companies for a start? You interact with technology every day as part of normal day to day business activities, however constrained that interaction may be technologically speaking; a bit of word processing, keeping that website up to date, using a database for members records and renewals. Businesses have many actual and potential technology applications. You are, most likely, aware of the economies that can be made if the upgrading of your business infrastructure is strategic. The example demonstrated earlier in the conference by Garry Brennan of the joint screen media organisation's (represented by Screen Development Australia) membership database is an excellent example of creating operational efficiencies for the sector, not just single organisations. Aside from business infrastructure, focus may be on supporting the delivery of cultural products; events requiring sophisticated digital technology for training, support and access for constituents, be they artists, curators, audiences or others. The technological components of business are probably not going to decrease; they will more than likely increase. To deal with this practically, culturally and economically you need to be clear about how technology can benefit your business. Strategy and support may be required to identify opportunities and to realise the benefits. For those of you who were early starters in exploring the application of and access to technology there are recollections of starting out, the steep learning curve(s), the jargon, the teething pains; and they probably have not ended completely. Partnerships and relationships can help ease the pain. Admitting what you don't know and where you can access sympathetic expertise is key. What is a Partnership? The Concise Oxford English Dictionary definitions include:
and
Adopting the game approach is useful - scoring jointly and playing together to win. Doing business is about people, forming relationships and partnerships is about people. When doing business with people there needs to be trust, common ground and outcomes. Ideally, it is also enjoyable! Long-term is a useful addition to the equation. It is effort intensive to set up a "one off" agreement, be it sponsorship of an event, acquisition of hardware, or any short-term contact approach. Looking to the longer term complements the characteristics of digital technology: continuous change and redundancy, upgrades, specialist expertise and increasing complexity. If the approach to a partnership is to establish a pathway or an open door, rather than an instance, then there is good potential for long-term success. A two way process of education takes place - and an exchange of goodwill. This often results in a path which is more likely to be an option for others to tread at a later date. There are many synergies, and excellent examples of successful partnerships, between Cultural Organisations, individual artists and IT Companies: partnerships where risks and profits and scores are shared. This being said, the presentation will now touch on:
The IT Sector Jennifer Condon's definition of the IT Sector identified in yesterday's keynote address encompassed Software Technology Industries, Digital and Mobile devices. It may be useful to consider a few of the layers that form the IT building blocks for business and the delivery of cultural product. Loosely speaking it is almost everything that sits under the interface:
This is a random list of some of the big brand multinationals with a smattering of smaller, second, third tier and niche companies. Many operate across a number of categories; all these categories (and more) are part of your day-to-day business. There are plenty of them in this massive growth industry. There are many, many pieces to the pie and within each sector, sub-sector and area of expertise there are many, many specialisations. A mutually beneficial partnership might be established with any of these companies. Consideration of the context of various companies can be interesting - are they local, national, international? It is useful to contextualise your selves as well. You may be small but where are you on the international map? What do you represent, what is special about you? Some companies have an interest in supporting the "squirrels", the innovators, thinking out of the box and trying new approaches. They will usually be quite clear about how best to leverage this to their advantage. The complexity and level of detail required to build software, and establish the infrastructure on which it all works, is incredible and worthy of respect, likewise, the many components that make up overall systems and functioning applications and the people who contribute to this. IT is an industry of specialisations and I encourage anyone who is embarking on interfacing with the IT industry to do some investigation. It takes time and resources to do this and when you are already stretched it can seem an onerous task - but this is another reason to plan this activity ahead. Drivers behind partnerships with IT For IT companies, the core business driver is simple - it is profit, the bottom line. They are commercial and this is the commercial reality. Selling more units, more CPU's, more professional services better and faster is what they do. And they need to make a profit doing so. There are many creative ways companies go about doing this. Here is an example of what Intel looks for in a partnership. Will a relationship:
There's quite a range of ways to interpret these considerations, depending on the level of abstraction from the over the counter sale, for a business development or sponsorship person. Are the above questions so different to what you might be asking yourself when you are approached to partner? Will the partnership and activities;
Additionally,
But it can be more than dry old business -
It is useful to understand the IT business perspective and a business approach - if you are not skilled to do this then an intermediary may be required. Planning for Strategic Partnerships Before you go out establishing partnerships or relationships, it is useful to know what you want - as sector, as a cultural sector business, as a provider of services, as a facilitator of creative endeavour. First establish your drivers, your objectives, your needs and priorities: short term, medium term and long term. When you do your organisational planning identify where an IT partnership might add value. This takes time and when resources are already tight it can be a real challenge to prioritise IT as a medium to long- term investment. Research what are other organisations in your field are doing: locally, nationally and internationally. Can you leverage their knowledge, research, prior development and useful contacts? Where possible, avoid re-inventing the wheel. Talk to your colleagues. Do you have an initiative which is unwieldy or not cost effective alone, but with like-minded organisations it might be of enormous benefit? The National Digital Access Initiative, initiated by Screen Development Australia and supported by the Australian Film Commission, is an excellent example. If you don't know what to do, perhaps your first exercise is to build relationships with people who do have some expertise in this area and are sympathetic to your objectives. Find people with the appropriate skills and experience to work with you to develop a strategic approach. Hasten slowly but make sure that your strategy includes the resources to make plans a reality. You may not have IT expertise in house. Ready access to the right expertise externally may be a priority, and/or integrating this into recruitment planning. Do you have IT representation on your board? What is the percentage of your budget you expect to be allocating to this area? It is possibly a critical component of your budget, which needs an informed approach from the board and across all areas of the organisation. Perhaps there is active interest from members that can be harnessed. Is it in the area of most use to the organisation? While most organisations would identify more cash as an ideal outcome - and there is some of that out there - think creatively about what might be useful and beneficial. IT companies may support seminars by providing speakers and content to support joint messages, they may be keen to launch products, participate in exhibitions, in joint advertising, sponsorship of case studies, investment in proof of concept projects, the provision of hardware for projects which will demonstrate innovative use of technology. Maybe you need technology mentors or training. An incremental approach to partnership establishment may be most appropriate. Make sure you have all bases covered in terms of any hidden costs. What is the cost to support a generous offering of equipment - is the support part of the deal? Partnerships in IT are much the same as any partnerships. It is important to understand where the circles of interest overlap and how to leverage that common interest to the greatest mutual advantage. Be specific. Toss ideas around for consideration - there might be something that really grabs their imagination. Find out about their interests. And be aware that it can take time to find a good match. When you have something to run with be clear about success measures. Clearly understand the expectations they might have of you and your organisation. You might have a project to get a partnership up and running - but ask if you are not clear about what your partner expects and document this for agreement. Follow through is essential and, depending on who you are dealing with, reporting may be required or at the very least it may be courteous. Be prepared. Have all your facts and figures ready: the PR approach, media targets, past successes, information distribution, although don't assume that profile and exposure are the only interests. But, if you don't meet expectations the first time try, try again, but ensure a demonstrable strategy for improvement. You need to sell your business; you need to have your good news story sorted. To enter into a longer term relationship takes planning. You need a pretty clear idea of what you are doing not just for the next six months but also for the six months after that and after that. It may be useful to understand the planing cycles to which a potential partner works to synchronise activity. Cultural difference: things to keep in mind when approaching and working with IT companies Embrace cultural difference! Every now and then you might wonder which planet you have been beamed to - it is the same for IT people "trespassing" into the Cultural sector. It is useful to keep in mind that there are many currencies in life and that when cultural organizations and IT companies meet, the scorecards are not necessarily in the same currency, and the scale of economies may be vastly different. Open and clear communication is essential. If you don't understand or speak the language involve someone who does and who understands what your organization is trying to achieve. This might be an intermediary with an IT or business affinity. If you don't understand, say so. Keep everything in plain English and this includes being aware of the jargon of the cultural sector. A recommended approach for any project or objective is to understand it from the perspective of all stakeholders. If you are working with or desire to work with an IT company do you understand what their perspective might be? Empathy can provide useful insight into a situation. Establishing a common understanding of what is to be achieved and the way it will be achieved should minimise unpleasant surprises along the way. Often you are selling ideas, inspiring people to become involved. Enthusiasm, positive energy and the desire to make things work opens doors and are key to many successful partnerships. In summary, IT partnerships take time and commitment. They are best approached strategically and positively and by involving the right people. Carolyn Guerin |