Being effective in working long-distance is heavily dependent on a level of engagement and confidence in using online technologies to connect on a regular and productive basis. Many gravitate quite easily to this way of working whilst others can find it daunting and / or exasperating. The Why? And What? Prompt Sheet (See: Getting Beneath) outlines a number of key challenges that face partnership practitioners working long-distance – and the issue of connectivity is, clearly, of fundamental importance to many.
It is clear that the challenges we increasingly face require nimble, flexible and speedy responses and that there are many scenarios where technology (mobile phones, specifically) has been the key to better preparedness and responsiveness. As Reda Sadki of the Geneva Learning Foundation says of web-based technologies, on-line learning and their relevance to long-distance working in the Humanitarian Sector:
This collaborative, flexible, motivating, participatory and supportive approach is not simply a nicer, kinder and gentler form of learning: its pedagogical patterns closely emulate the core competencies of 21st century humanitarian workers, who are expected to be able to manage complex, overlapping knowledge flows, to work in networked configurations (rather than command-and-control structures) and to use participatory methodologies to partner with affected populations.Source: The Significance of Technology for Humanitarian Education in: World Disasters Report 2013
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva.
So as partnership practitioners, we need to get better at understanding what is available and selecting what will best suit our partnership’s various connection needs.
We need to help people get really comfortable with using web-based technologies.
Download:
Remote Partnering Approaches to Simple and Complex Tasks (pdf)
Remote Partnering Approaches to Simple and Complex Tasks (word)
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Managing On-line Meetings and Workshops (pdf)
Managing On-line Meetings and Workshops (word)
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Working long-distance doesn’t necessarily mean that the parties / partners never actually meet face-to-face (although this is the reality in some partnerships – either because the limited resources available don’t allow it or because actual contact is not possible due to context constraints). In fact, almost all those interviewed made the point that partners that had met at an early stage of their partnership and / or are able to meet on an annual basis, tended to work together long-distance much more easily.
So one question for practitioners, planners and budget managers to ask is: what cannot be undertaken productively long-distance – even when every effort is made to ensure long-distance working is a imaginative and systematic as possible? And in what scenarios and circumstances face-to-face meetings are essential – whether these are in the form of 1-2-1 meetings on site or larger gatherings of partners from different locations.
Another question is: How can we optimise the time together when we meet? For example, less time sitting in large rooms listening to speeches and more time getting to know each other, brainstorming, having challenging conversations, doing creative activities that will build the partnership’s sense of purpose and vision for the future.
Being connected can take many forms from formal (written documents) to informal (word of mouth) approaches. Exploring a range of options that partners themselves suggest based on their own sectoral and cultural experiences can be a highly productive way of getting to know each other better and to shaping the partnership to operate appropriately for their needs and aspirations.
Building connectedness offers us as practitioners an exciting opportunity to experiment in new ways of working that can be far more inclusive and have far greater reach and influence. It can be the key to challenging and changing the way we partner.