Building Cross-Cultural Intelligence | 3
300 Brickstone Square • Suite 201 • Andover, MA 01810 USA • 1.800.288.7246 • +1.978.649.8200 • info@corpedgroup.com
Sometimes, during this phase, individuals realize that the partnership is not right. They'll stop the
process and proceed down a new path, considering partnerships with other individuals.
Once people commit, they make the jump into partnership. They enter into creation phase, in which
they negotiate wants and needs, set expectations, and form the foundation for their work together.
They work through who will be responsible for what and what they want to achieve through their
partnership.
Partners then move to a cultivation stage, in which they grow their partnership and work toward their
goals. In this phase, often the longest in the partnership, they perform the work that they have set
out for themselves. When challenging issues arise, they tend to them. They manage changes in their
environments, evolve their partnership to adapt to those changes, and deepen their effectiveness.
The final stage occurs when partners decide that their partnership needs to change into a different
form. This may occur when their work together is finished or when they need to form a different kind of
partnership. They close their existing partnership and look to the future.
Throughout this process, partners can expect to spend more time talking about process, direction, and
coordination. Yet, they can also expect increased quality, capacity, performance, and, perhaps most
valuable, an ally in the ever-changing, complex world of organizations.
About the Author:
Maya Townsend, MSOD, is a trainer and consultant for Corporate Education Group and specializes in leadership, strategy, and
collaboration. During her career, Maya has successfully designed and facilitated training programs for over 5000 people in
groups of 3 to 130 in the public and corporate sectors. Highly intuitive, analytical, and imaginative, Maya works at all levels, from
CEOs to line workers, to develop the relationships, ideas, connections, and interdependencies that shift an organization to the
next level of productivity and performance.
