ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what is meant by the term transformation and how it is being used in relation to partnership. In order to explore the extent to which partnership may be transformational, the difficulties of evaluating partnership arrangements are discussed, including ongoing debate over what needs to be assessed and why, and examination of some of the different indicators and methodologies used for partnership assessment. This analysis concludes that it is hard to judge the effectiveness of partnership due to the complexity of different levels of interaction, lack of clarity on goals and motivations for partnering and the challenge of attribution in relation to long-term results. Assessments of partnership might thus more usefully focus on inquiries into its potential to transform by generating individual, organisational and societal value. The attributes of such transformational arrangements and how these compare with other collaborative connections are examined using a partnership spectrum that adds more reflective dimensions to existing collaborative typologies.
