UBA022 - Thought Partnership

Our deepest collaboration yet.

Introduction

If there is one thing I know from the 20+ years i’ve been working in the creative industry it's that it never stands still. One of the most enjoyable parts of our industry that is symbolic of this ever-changing landscape is collaboration.

Collaboration has emerged as an indispensable catalyst for innovation and problem-solving, as well as emotional connection and straight up fun.

Traditional creative agency work is underpinned by structured teams, scopes and budgets. An agency puts a proposal together which is signed off by the client and then the agency puts their efforts to deliver quality creative on time, and on budget. As my exploration into Self Management has unfolded it has become clear that there are two major archetypes of how we can plan projects: Plan-and-Control and Sense-and-Respond.

Both planning styles have their pros and cons, but we have experienced a growing need for Sense-and-Respond style work. As cultural norms shift and organisations demand adaptive, dynamic approaches, we’ve been continually evolving the type of support we give to our clients.

The Emergence of Thought Partnership

The emergence of Thought Partnership as a service we offer is not just a rebranding of existing consulting services; it represents a profound transformation in the way we approach collaboration. It represents a shift from transactional engagements to deeply immersive partnerships that seamlessly integrate diverse perspectives.

At first we definitely felt some Imposter Syndrome. What do we know? Why would people want to pay us for this kind of consultancy without knowing what work we’re going to be doing for them?

The truth is, it’s what we’ve been doing for over 20 years each anyway, we had just never labelled it in this way. As a part of any project or relationship, there is a need for conversation. These conversations can be directly about the work, or can be about the strategy behind the work, the particular client’s relationship with their organisation or a challenge that is coming down the line when a future project hits. These conversations are unplanned, unscoped but are most definitely useful in tangible and intangible ways.

What is Thought Partnership?

Thought Partnership is a dynamic, adaptive, and transformative approach to collaboration that breaks free from the constraints of traditional consulting models. It is a deeply immersive engagement that places partners at the heart of the client's journey, providing continuous ideation, strategic guidance and collective expertise.

It is characterised by several key attributes that differentiate it from traditional consulting:

Adaptable scope: This is one of the most defining features of a Thought Partnership relationship. Expectations around end results and benefits are hard to write down because they are about so much more than deliverables.

Immersion: Thought Partners become integral members of the client's team, fully immersing themselves in brands, culture, challenges and goals. But there is also a level of immersion around the organisation itself and any personal challenges the client faces, allowing for more holistic work than a traditional brief. We gain a deep understanding of the client's context, fostering a sense of shared ownership and aligning their efforts with the client's strategic objectives.

Continuous Ideation: With Thought Partnership relationships, there is a constant source of fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. We challenge conventional thinking, explore new possibilities and actively engage in co-creating solutions with our clients. This continuous ideation cycle fuels innovation and ideation, with regular ‘thought starter’ documents about topics that we know more about, or are in a better position to research.

Collective Expertise: We bring a wealth of diverse experiences, skills and knowledge to the table. We leverage our collective expertise to tackle complex challenges, providing a holistic perspective that transcends individual limitations.

Delving Deeper

There are many practical, or direct benefits of thought partnership. But there are also indirect or emotional benefits at the heart of Thought Partnership. Sometimes the work can cross over into coaching, mentoring or just being a shoulder to cry on:

Authenticity: Thought Partnership fosters genuine connections between partners and clients, breaking down barriers and creating a safe space for open dialogue and shared understanding. This authenticity allows for a deeper level of trust and collaboration, enabling Thought Partners to challenge assumptions and provide honest feedback on the organisation or brand they are supporting.

Diversity of Thought: Thought Partnership recognises the power of diverse perspectives and actively seeks to incorporate a wide range of thinking styles into collaborative efforts. This diversity enriches the problem-solving process, sparks creativity and leads to more comprehensive and innovative solutions. Partners bring their unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to the table, fostering a collective intelligence that transcends individual limitations.

Psychological Safety: Thought Partnership cultivates an environment of psychological safety, where individuals feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas and expressing themselves without fear of judgement. A client may have some great ideas but without Thought Partners on board, may be unsure where or how to share them with others because the dominant culture or infrastructure of their organisation doesn’t support the development of these ideas.

Partnership Ecosystem: Thought Partners cultivate a collaborative ecosystem that extends beyond the immediate client relationship. They connect clients with a network of experts, partners and thought leaders on a day-to-day basis through other work, expanding the client's access to knowledge and resources.

The Science of Thought Partnership

Research consistently supports the positives that Thought Partnership can bring to leadership and organisational creativity and innovation.

“...in today’s marketplace, the smartest companies aren’t those that necessarily out-produce the competition. Instead, it’s the organisations that outthink them…"

In this article by Harvard Business Review suggests that organisations should really prioritise assembling teams by how they think. Thought Partnership plugs in to your existing team on a contract basis and bolsters the diversity of existing thinking styles.

“There’s no way of predicting the next big quake that will shake up the business world. Be it new regulations or a global pandemic impacting how people live and work, businesses have to have a plan in place for handling unexpected challenges.”

In this article by Forbes, the need for adaptability is stressed along with strategies. Utilising Thought Partners helps an organisation think more loosely, more creatively and in ways it might not normally think to help with tactical work or direction shifts.

The Importance of Trust

Thought Partnership can help organisations with creativity, thinking diversity, research and ideation and does so at a very reasonable cost versus recruitment. So why isn’t this already a prolific service? I believe the core reason is trust.

In Thought Partnership, trust is a foundation that supports creativity, open communication and resilience in the face of challenges. It's a reciprocal investment, requiring time and commitment from all parties. Cultivating trust in Thought Partnership is a shared responsibility.

In these kinds of relationships, trust is not just an ideal but an essential ingredient. It can be incredibly difficult to sign off a retainer when the deliverables are not specifically stated. Value for money can be a very hard to judge in these relationships, and a lot of today’s business is built on rational argument, data and analysis.

But I firmly believe in the benefits of starting with trust, and I believe in the holistic benefits of conversing with people who think differently. And if I understand what the future holds correctly then I don’t truly know how creative agencies can move forward without establishing thinking as a core service.

The Future Landscape of Collaboration

The current advancements of AI in the creative and language space seems likely to disrupt our industry in a big way, and as it does it is crucial to recognise the impending changes driven by these advancing technologies. The creative industry faces an unstoppable evolution where automation may be able to take care of a huge portion of the more mechanical aspects of creativity very soon. The time and cost efficiencies offered by AI will become very attractive to many clients and so it is important that everyone in the creative industry takes time to consider the future, and how they need to evolve.

This isn't a doomsday prophecy but a call to action to redefine our roles. Instead of fearing displacement, we should all embrace the shift. As AI streamlines lower level tasks, we are not necessarily ‘out of a job’ - we are able to transcend our previous roles. For people with a good amount of experience under their belts, Thought Partnership, in this context, becomes a high level service space that is uniquely human, making the most of intuition, emotion and abstract thinking. It is a service which (for now at least) seems like it may be very hard to automate.

We have already begun experimenting, looking back at old projects we carried out and reinterpreting the briefs to see what we could achieve if we were given the same brief today, with today’s technology. We are astutely aware of how phenomenal the time and cost savings can be when these tools are harnessed and so we sense the need to move fast and rethink everything we know.

Conclusion

Thought Partnership is not just a new buzzword or a fleeting trend; it represents a fundamental shift in the way we approach collaboration. It is a transformative approach that harnesses the power of collective intelligence, diverse perspectives and genuine human connections to drive innovation, solve complex challenges and achieve organisational success.

And if we can get past our fears around trust, and stop thinking in terms of deliverables lists, ROI and other tangible outcomes, then we may just be preparing ourselves for an amazing future in the creative industry.

Written By Russell

If you are interested in finding out more about our views and expertise in Thought Partnership, either as a client or as a creative agency thinking about offering this as a service then please feel free to get in touch at russell@rosieleegroup.com and I’ll try to help.