How to Navigate Power Dynamics Between Partner Organizations

Learn how to recognize and address the power imbalances that shape cross-organizational relationships.

About This Training

Partnerships between organizations rarely involve equal power. Differences in size, funding, reputation, and proximity to decision-makers shape who sets the agenda, whose voice carries more weight, and whose priorities get centered. This training teaches participants how to recognize these dynamics, name them, and navigate them with honesty and care so that partnerships can function with greater equity and mutual respect.

What You'll Learn

• How power shows up in cross-organizational relationships, including formal authority, resource control, and informal influence
• How to assess the power dynamics in your current partnerships
• How to raise power dynamics as a topic of conversation rather than an unspoken tension
• How to negotiate more equitable terms within existing partnerships
• How to design new partnerships with power awareness from the beginning

Practical Takeaways

• A power dynamics assessment tool for current and potential partnerships
• Language for raising power dynamics constructively with partner organizations
• A set of principles for designing equitable partnership agreements

Designed for: Leaders and staff who manage cross-organizational relationships, particularly those in smaller organizations partnering with larger or better-resourced entities.