Cultivating relationships

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Cultivating relationships

Introduction

Relational work is the cornerstone of transformative digital health partnerships. Beyond strategy, funding, and technology, it is the trust, ongoing communication, and genuine human connection between partners that enable collaborations to flourish.

What does it mean?

Relational work is about intentionally building and sustaining meaningful connections. It means showing up with curiosity, listening, and creating space for open, honest dialogue.

Why does it matter?

Partnerships often bring together people from different sectors, disciplines, and cultures. Without strong relationships, even the best plans can unravel. When trust and communication flow, it is expected that partners can co-create solutions, adapt quickly, and the chance is higher that they stay united through challenges and shifts.

Ingredients for cultivating relationships

1

Invest in genuine personal connections

It is helpful to make time to understand each other’s motivations, priorities, and potential risks when entering in a partnership. Reflect on your own partnering style: how you listen, communicate, and build trust and look for ways to strengthen it. Small gestures of empathy, honesty, and shared experiences can create the foundation for collaboration between individuals

2

Deliberately build and nurture trust

Trust is the engine of collaboration. Go beyond confidence in technology or strategy and invest in confidence in your partners by recognizing their intentions, expertise, and commitment. Reflect on your own reliability and openness and look for ways to strengthen it. It supports trust building when you follow through on commitments, are transparent about challenges and decisions, and listen actively to concerns. It also is part of trusting when you recognize and value each partner’s contributions. The advantage of trust is that partners feel safe to experiment, dare to take smart risks, and are open to tackle challenges together.

Prioritize open and regular communication

3

Keep conversations flowing in formal and informal ways. Transparency about progress, setbacks, and shifting priorities prevents misunderstandings and keeps the partnership aligned and agile.

Embrace conflict as creative fuel

4

Try to consider differences of opinion not as roadblocks but as opportunities. Honest, respectful disagreement can strengthen understanding, sharpen ideas, and help the partnership evolve when conditions change.

Want to know more?

Cases

DCCC network

  • Join an event by DCCC and experience the way different workshop methodologies can support relationship building.

Tools

  • Developing partnering principles can support partners in strengthening their relationship. You can read more about partnering principles and how to develop them in this guide developed by the Partnership Resource Centre: Partnering principles

Readings

  • Conflicts can happen in partnerships. How to understand them and how to deal with them is discussed in this document developed by GIZ Partnerships2030: Conflict management in partnerships
  • Partnerships often have to deal with power imbalances. This guide developed by GIZ/Partnerships2030 helps to better understand and develop partnerships on equal footing: Collaboration on equal footing
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