ABSTRACT
As societal partnerships have proliferated, a body of experience of what works and what does not has developed. Criticisms of the limitations of partnerships have grown, often shaped by a perception that they are championed by powerful organisations to avoid deeper and faster changes to their practices, such as those that come from changes in public policy. Initially some organisations and individuals have reacted defensively to criticisms of partnerships. However, if organisational learning is a key benefit from partnering then we must strive to be better learners. One of the most recent insights from evolutionary science on the useful role of viruses provides a helpful metaphor. When mapping the human genome, researchers discovered that 8% of our genome is composed of broken and disabled retroviruses which, millions of years ago, embedded themselves in the DNA of our ancestors.
