What makes a successful skill ecosystem?
FEATURE | Belinda Smith, SmithComyn & Associates for TAFE NSW ICVET
Skill ecosystems have partners of equal influence and outcomes that are not fixed in advance, are collaborative and invite innovation.
This article discusses features that are typical of a successful skill ecosystem/ partnership.*
TAFE NSW is very good at forming traditional training provider client partnerships that provide training in a specified manner or skill area for a company or organisation. The following understanding about skill ecosystems draws on research readings and interviews with skill ecosystem participants.
Successful skill ecosystems require a deeper, or more complex level of partnership. Skill ecosystems have partners of equal influence and outcomes that are not fixed in advance, are collaborative and invite innovation. Open structures establish a space for exploration of new ideas for products and services. Governance structures appropriate to the skill ecosystem goals will provide a foundation to move forward. The term ecosystem hints at the complexity of a skill ecosystem with a dynamic lifecycle using adaptive iteration.
It takes time to develop successful skill ecosystems, to build trust and openness amongst partners. Connecting with the right partners for the right reasons and developing a vision and shared goals are essential for success.
Skill ecosystems should be transparent. Transparency is about including, not excluding, all stakeholders – keeping things open for new ideas, energy and resources. Transparency can counter corruption.
These features are typical of a successful skill ecosystem/ partnership:
- Commitment at a senior level
- Leadership teams/social entrepreneurs/ intermediaries
- Open communication and governance
- Collaboration, a balance of responsibility and influence between partners
- Understanding of organisational culture
- Promotion of a learning environment
- Clear shared vision and goals
- Development of trust and respect
- Achievable outcomes
- Regular evaluation/ or adaptive iteration
Commitment at a senior level is essential for a skill ecosystem to realise its potential. Commitment at a senior level means partner organisations move towards participation rather than being pulled along. High-level backing makes negotiating a formal agreement easier, resulting in less reliance on individual personalities. Senior level support should be oriented to collaborative leadership not traditional management and is outward looking rather than service or product focused. Industry leaders help provide credibility, extend networks and diversify skill ecosystem partners. Diverse partnerships create greater opportunity for innovation to occur. Industry leaders are well connected to various networks and activities, their involvement will create interest in the skill ecosystem.
Leadership teams/social entrepreneurs/ intermediaries help steer and keep momentum going during the life of the skill ecosystem - they may be champions for the vision. They motivate partners and keep communication open. Leadership teams are facilitative and independent rather than filtering ideas or having hidden agendas. The more individuals who can take on this role the less likely the partnership will be vulnerable personal relationship breakdowns. This lays the foundations for shared goals. A leadership team must be more than a steering committee.
Open communication and governance create opportunities for growth and diversity. Keeping membership open exposes the ecosystem to new ideas and opportunities. Open communication develops shared understanding and a sense of connection between skill ecosystem members. Communicating ideas and information allows members to value add creating greater opportunities. Distinguishing fine differences is important to strengthening partnerships. Face to face communication develops strong relationships and partners feel valued by the time invested in them.
Collaboration, a balance of responsibility and influence between partners enhances organisational leadership. Collaboration is often a new way of working for organisations whose normal mode of operation is competition. Trust is needed to foster collaboration and independent intermediaries without personal agendas can be particularly useful developing this feature of industry skill clusters (Smith 2005).
Understanding of organisational culture allows potential partners to identify cultural matches and organisational values and ethics needed for a successful partnership. Cultural awareness of the partners’ external influences, customs, drivers, and customs provides opportunity for greater capacity building. Developing a mutual understanding of workplace practices in VET organisations and enterprises, helps identify shared goals and new applications for products and services.
Promotion of a learning environment A return on culture rather than return on investment. Adding value to information by sharing it with different people produces trust, openness and cooperation. Sharing information generates new ideas and distils possibilities for innovation.
Clear shared vision and goals, each of the partners share a common vision and purpose, which is understood and accepted as important throughout each partner organisation. Future oriented thinking promotes strategies to think about innovative solutions for the supply side and demand side solutions for the skill ecosystem. Shared goals create ownership and motivate confidence in partners to act individually and collectively.
Development of trust and respect. Without trust, a cluster is a network of interested colleagues or community members looking to see what they can get out of the network. Trust allows a cluster to fully explore ideas and information and to give up things for the cluster (Smith 2005).
Open communication promotes trust, which in turn provides the foundation for developing skill ecosystem competitiveness and new joint ventures amongst partners.
Achievable outcomes Big issues may have instigated the skill ecosystem, but building in smaller, more manageable task lets the partnership achieve early successes, which then motivate more and ongoing involvement. Being realistic builds trust and stops disappointment. Achieving and c elebrating incremental or small successes maintains motivation and creates energy, making others more inclined to get involved.
Regular evaluation/ or adaptive iteration Adaptive iteration means each step or stage responds to the sequence of steps that have gone before it. An ongoing process of reflection can be facilitated through normal partnership activities and meetings.
As you will notice, these skills are not new to most people in TAFE. What is the challenge is applying them in a collaborative, non-agenda driven way with external partners.
The more people within a skill ecosystem who can take on this role the more likely the ecosystem will succeed.
There does not appear to be one set model for successful skill ecosystems as there are large differences in the way the different industries operate and the issues with which each ecosystem works.
As a member of a skill ecosystem, TAFE practitioners are not responsible for all actions and drive within the partnership, though skill ecosystem members will have a range of different skills that can be drawn on. It is not the role of a TAFE practitioner to do everything that a skill ecosystem needs to develop. Rather, recognise the skills of the other partners and let them take the lead where they have the expertise.
Skill ecosystems do need intermediaries to help steer and keep momentum going during its life. TAFE practitioners are well placed to be intermediaries as they are skilled at facilitation and working with groups. Intermediaries are more than facilitators. The more people within a skill ecosystem who can take on this role the more likely the ecosystem will succeed.
See also
If you have found this article interesting you may be interested in the article Skill ecosystems in TAFE NSW. This article identifies the benefits and challenges of skill ecosystems and draws on experiences documented in five TAFE NSW skill ecosystems. Additional case studies examining international and further TAFE NSW initiatives in skill ecosystems and partnerships will, along with a think piece exploring opportunities to expand existing partnerships into skill ecosystems be available soon.
* Note: A companion article on Skill Ecosystems in TAFE NSW will be published in the next ICVET eZine, as will further case studies.
Shearer Training SKILL ECOSYSTEMS EXEMPLAR | eZine February 2006
The United Kingdom Automotive Academy and the Northwest Automotive Alliance INTERNATIONAL SKILL ECOSYSTEMS EXEMPLAR | eZine February 2006
Skill Ecosystems/Industry Partnerships | A-Z Resources
TAFE NSW ICVET Skill Ecosystem Project
