Are consortia a good way forward?

Overview

This paper seeks to highlight the challenges that can be experienced when managing consortia and to propose possible solutions. Consortia are becoming increasingly commonplace and have distinct differences from the usual partnerships. Consequently, there is a need for clear guidelines on how to manage them. Oxfam faces challenges in this regard because its traditional ways of working in partnerships are not always agile enough to respond to this new model of working.

Partnering for Impact series

To do the work it does, Oxfam works closely with partners at all stages of the programme, in all kind of contexts: humanitarian, influencing, development, etc. But what does it mean for our staff? Each day brings new challenges and opportunities, so how do they do it? Following a reflective and productive writeshop, this Partnering for Impact series was developed to share and explore learning from experienced practitioners about what it takes to ‘work well in partnership’.