ABSTRACT
Many feel anxious about working with others in professional and organisational life. However, sports development work is such that organisations can no longer expect to be able to function and thrive in isolation. The need for partnerships has been emphasised by the successes of many joint ventures and the failures of many individual pursuits. This has led to an increasing compulsion for sports organisations to perform effectively in concert to obtain cultural, financial and political support, as confirmed by Pettinger (2000: 21):
No organisation exists in isolation from its environment, the nature and extent of the relationship and interactions must be considered. Organisations are subject to a variety of economic, legal, social and ethical pressures that they must be capable of accommodating if they are to operate effectively.
