Recommendations for practice

After having summarised the research findings this section makes recommendations, on the basis of the conducted research, on how companies and organisations can address the challenge of entering into and managing

cross-sector collaborations. The principle issues of these ten key

recommendations provide a qualified framework as a basis from which to guide corporate-humanitarian partnerships.

Recommendation One: “Principles, values, and rules”

Humanitarian aid organisations work according to the principles of “humanity”, “impartiality”, and “neutrality”. The study shows that companies usually do not have sufficient knowledge about humanitarian principles and constraints to expect a corporate-humanitarian collaboration to initiate seamlessly; the converse applies to humanitarians who have limited knowledge about business values and beliefs. Therefore, it is recommended that both firms and aid agencies provide specialised training courses in the beginning of the collaboration to inform their partners about the key organisational principles and limitations of the partnership. Additionally, clear engagement rules need to be determined and agreed to by all parties involved. This ensures adherence to each partner‟s principles and contributes to the development of trust in the partnership. Finally, firms ought to send volunteering employees to humanitarian aid missions, so that field-level experience can be gained. These field missions contribute to the definition of the possible activities of a collaboration. “The multitude of opportunities to see, touch, feel, smell and listen to the realities of the deprived and marginalized populations” (Samii & Van Wassenhove, 2004, p. 1) is an effective way to convince sceptics of the necessity to cooperate.

Recommendation Two: “Building of logistics capacity”

The United Nations (2007) recommend that companies and organisations should focus on building local skills and resources within the limits of their collaboration. Research, however, has shown that the building of global capacity between disasters, especially in the riskiest areas, is of importance. Logistics providers can contribute to capacity building through staff training and the creation of a worldwide catalogue listing of readily accessible resources for

disaster relief. Additionally, the pooling and rapid access to these resources helps in responding to emergencies in a timely manner.

Recommendation Three: “Exploiting of similar core competencies”

Collaborations between commercial logistics providers and humanitarian aid organisations should be based on similar core competencies. The study revealed that a great number of respondents from the logistics industry believe that matching core competencies, such as logistics, support the successful establishment of relationships. Perspectives from the majority of both sectors further agree that synergies between partners help build collaborations and promote cross-learning possibilities with regard to sharing of know-how and best practices, as well as taking advantage of each other‟s global network and resources. However, both partners need to keep in mind that although similar core competencies exist, both organisations may have different expectations and objectives for the cooperation that can ultimately result in misunderstandings and inefficient relationship operations. Hence, organisational fit needs to also be considered when establishing collaborations.

Recommendation Four: “Collaborating with national and local authorities”

The provision of disaster relief includes cooperation with national and local governments. The collaboration between DHL and the UN shows that local authorities needed to agree on the deployment of the Disaster Response Teams (DRTs) at the outset in order to guarantee unlimited access to the airfield. Firms should make sure that the independence of all actors involved is maintained and that they adhere to the humanitarian policies when collaborating with authorities.

Recommendation Five: “Aiming at fulfilling the beneficiaries’ needs”

The ultimate aim of corporate-humanitarian collaborations should be the delivery of efficient disaster relief in emergency areas, while keeping in mind the local customs and structures. It is important that partners work together in order to avoid drifting from the intended goals of the mission and in order that the collaboration is able to adapt to sudden changes in working environment and demand. Recent literature shows that companies intend to increase their public awareness and thus tend only to support relief missions in publicly well-known

areas. Nevertheless, no evidence could be found that corporate decisions are made without considering the needs of the people.

Recommendation Six: “Managing communication between the

partners and its public”

The public relations-value of the partnership is especially important to businesses since they aim to increase public awareness and enhance their public image. Nevertheless, it is recommended that both partners agree on communication rules before entering a partnership, with consideration of each other‟s communication necessities and organisational principles. If the partners adhere to these strategies, press releases about the collaboration activities can create advantages for both sides.

Recommendation Seven: “Coverage of additional expenses caused by

donations”

The provision of in-kind donations from corporations may raise additional costs for humanitarian aid organisations. Companies should make sure that only those resources are donated that actually contribute to relief operations. Past events have shown that inappropriate donations, such as expired medication or inadequately packaged food donations, can result in further costs incurred in the handling or destruction of these items.

Recommendation Eight: “Performance measurement and assessment”

Appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) can be regarded as essential performance measurement techniques in cross-sector collaborations. They enable both partners to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their partnership and allow them to make any necessary changes in favour of the cooperating parties. Additionally, future work can be improved through the reviewing of lessons learned: this, however, requires accurate and consistent reporting regulations. The application of KPIs also supports process transparency, which can be named as a prerequisite of a successful corporate- humanitarian collaboration.

Recommendation Nine: “Separation of partners’ responsibilities and

operations”

This study clearly reveals that both commercial logistics companies and humanitarian aid agencies emphasise the importance of separating their partners‟ responsibilities and activities, as well as maintaining a power balance between the partners. It is recommended that a neutral communication platform is created by deploying a partnership broker who pairs the logistics firm with the aid organisation. The segregation of partnership activities, however, should imply some degree of flexibility and should not preclude individuals from assisting in their partner‟s operations if needed.

Recommendation Ten: “Calculable risk”

Finally, the findings showed that both, the commercial logistics industry and the humanitarian aid sector prefer long-term relationships. Ideally, future processes are concisely planned, with a clear mission and goals for the collaboration, as well as clarity in each partner‟s expectations and responsibilities, which are determined beforehand. Lastly, all parties should be aware of the risks involved when engaging in a partnership. Addressing of risks might be best supported through the development of a comprehensive risk- management concept.