Partnership research findings unanimously point out that focus on the partnership process is needed in order to increase results (outcome and impact). An increasingly frequent question for partnership practitioners centers on how to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of (cross-sector) partnership approaches in terms of their impact. Are they making a difference? How can they be improved in terms of working operations and effectiveness? And what is the added value for each partner, for the partnership as a whole and for the beneficiaries.
No matter which sector you are working in, these questions are crucial for healthy collaboration and the answers are sometimes difficult to find. The Partnership Learning Loop is designed to create an understanding of the unique fingerprint of the partnership and to include the partnership process in steering mechanisms to guide well informed decision making .