DEN sees opportunities in collaborations inside and outside the sector. It helps to develop innovative products and methods that form a basis for broader digital transformation.
3 tips for a flying start!
A sustainable collaboration begins at the start. By clearly aligning and making agreements right away, you have more success in the long term.
Exchange basic knowledge
In new collaborations, different parties do not always speak the same language. Therefore, first put the basics on the table and discuss your common goal and target audience. Also, discuss what everyone understands by certain terms to avoid confusion later.
Find the added value
Research what already exists on the topic you have in mind and then look for the value you can add. Connectors such as intermediaries or the lead partner of Cultural Education with Quality can help you get an overview of existing initiatives.
Define goals and responsibilities
Concrete goals and responsibilities bring focus to your plan and approach. Keep agreements and progress in a digitally shared folder or online document. This way, everyone has insight into the status and can adjust where necessary. Formalize the collaboration in an agreement or alliance.
Looking for new knowledge partners?
View the agendaA sustainable follow-up. How do you approach it?
The collaboration has begun, and your offering is digitally available, time for follow-up care.
Keep information up to date
Through search engines, information from years ago can be found while our digital society is constantly changing. If your target audience types something into the search bar, outdated material might come up. A sustainable collaboration also involves the further development of the project. For example, agree to evaluate the material annually and update it where necessary. Involve the right people within or outside your organizations, such as the users themselves. Content experts can provide you with reliable information and sources. A communication colleague can contribute by conducting an online keyword analysis and providing insights into the users.
Evaluate what works
What does the collaboration yield? A challenging but important question. Your marketing or communication colleague can show you how often the jointly developed material has been read or downloaded. These online statistics provide insight into the success of the collaboration but also show where improvements are possible. For example, you might increase findability by adding the right search terms or refine the target audience to achieve more success. Also, ask for feedback from users or stakeholders to improve.
Provide insight into the process
By also discussing or even sharing the process, you learn where improvements are possible. The insights from your collaboration can also help other parties. Write a blog, create a vlog, or join a podcast and tell others about it. This way, they can build on the knowledge you’ve developed and learn from mistakes made.
Collaboration is also about getting in sync with each other. Take the time to get to know each other and keep communicating.
In short, sustainable collaboration is always evolving
Sustainable collaboration has no fixed composition and no fixed endpoint. By continuously reorganizing the collaboration with new people with different expertise, you remain relevant. This allows you to focus on the long term while responding flexibly to new developments. These principles are also the foundation of digital transformation; you combine people and resources inside and outside your organization to achieve an integrated digital approach.
More articles per topic
