Addressing the Parallax Effect: A Key to Effective Partnerships
The Earthship community inTaos embraced sustainability in the pre-recycling days of 1971, when architect Michael Reynolds built houses using tires, glass bottles and aluminum cans.
One day last January, I was traveling back toward Taos, New Mexico, from a day of skiing, with the sun setting over the desert for in a crystal-clear sky. As a passenger in a car, I always notice that objects close the road seem to be moving much faster than those in the distance. In New Mexico, I was traveling with a photographer friend who told me that this phenomenon is called the parallax effect. It was a term that I’d never come across. A quick search yielded the answer. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is “the effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions.”
What a perfect definition for one of the greatest challenges of building cross-sector collaborations. When organizations come together to address a common challenge – whether it’s climate change, regenerative agriculture, addressing a global health issue, or ensuring that kids get the best education possible – inevitably each brings a different point of view, a different set of objectives, and a different approach. The key to creating successful, impactful, and sustainable partnerships is to be able to see these differences from all angles and to recognize and understand the different perspectives of each organization. From here, it is possible to achieve common ground.
I recently formed Parallax Advisors (www.parallaxesg.com) to address this very problem. In more than 20 years of leading impact-focused organizations I’ve seen firsthand the possibilities and the pitfalls of partnerships. Too often, a well-intended partnership is formed, and everyone works hard to sign an MOU, partnership agreement or to get to an announcement. I’ve been a part of such partnerships, and unfortunately, they often fail over the long term because the partners have failed to address the parallax issue. The press release may sound great, but how do the partners address differences in vision, strategy, timelines, and impact measurement? How are conflicts between partners mitigated? If they had worked through these differences as part of the partnership formulation process, they would have set themselves up for success beyond the announcement. Building a strong partnership requires participants to engage with transparency, intentionality, and a willingness to understand the personal and business perspectives of those sitting across the table.
Cross-sector collaboration is an increasingly critical tool to address the serious issues facing the world today. The good news is that many companies already recognize that impact and sustainability strategy and core business strategy are intricately intertwined. Not long ago, companies viewed corporate social responsibility, social impact, and sustainability teams as separate units or initiatives within the company. However, in recent years – thanks to increased pressure by consumers, investors, and employees – companies understand that these initiatives need to be woven into core business units, incentive structures, and objectives/key results frameworks. This opens the door for more creative, effective, and impactful partnerships with NGOs, donors, bilateral organizations, development banks, and multilaterals.
My goal with Parallax Advisors is to help organizations develop effective cross-sector collaborations to address key environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, hopefully providing a pathway to solving some of the challenges we face today.