Competition and collaboration
| Key questions | Aim | Risks in getting it wrong |
| Are you going to compete or collaborate with other organisations? | A realistic balance is found between competition and collaboration | Resentment from other organisations leading to a lack of cooperation on other issues Poor relations with head office |
Humanitarian organisations share a common goal – alleviating human suffering.
In trying to achieve this common goal, each organisation faces difficult decisions about how much they compete or collaborate with other organisations. Funding requests are for instance competitive if applications exceed available funds but a donor may also prefer to fund organisations who demonstrate a willingness to collaborate.
The trend is towards maximising collaboration with significant benefits to all.
Key areas of collaboration in human resource management in the field are:
- Checks and references on potential recruits
- Terms and conditions
- Understandings on 'poaching'
- Sharing of information on labour laws etc.
- Shared briefings, training and orientation
- Staff exchanges and secondments
A good example of collaboration at head office level is the Emergency Personnel Network.