Knowing your partnering quotient and the attributes necessary formanaging the partnership is only half of what you need for increasing your Partnering Intelligence. The other half is understanding the process of creating healthy, trusting, and mutually beneficial partnerships. Partnerships don’t just happen. They are designed. The Partnership Continuum model (Figure 1) is the blueprint for creating successful partnerships. This model has been used successfully by thousands of people. It offers you and your partner a tested step-bystep approach to developing your partnership. By following the model, both of you will increase your Partnering Intelligence as you learn how to do the following: Note that the PDCA cycle is embedded throughout the model to monitor the implementation of the other components as the partnership and relationship unfold.

At either end of the spectrum are the extremes of past and future orientation. Organizations that are mired in past orientation are closed to new ideas, concepts, or approaches in shaping their strategic directions. Those that are future oriented tend to be open to change and innovation. These dynamics impact the culture of the organization and are an important element in determining whether the cultural climate is supportive of alliance development. Although partnerships in real life flow in either direction, we want to encourage growth for the future.