Woven Collaboration | Strategic Development & Governance Support

When what you're trying to achieve depends on people working well together, I can help you create the conditions for good collaboration and a clear way forward.

An important project or idea needs shaping

You need to bring the right people together to explore the possibilities, make decisions and shape a clear way forward.

Different people need to find a way forward together

There are different perspectives, priorities or interests to work through before you can reach agreement and move forward.

Organisations or communities need to work together

You need to bring agencies, partners, stakeholders, iwi, hapū or communities together around a shared issue, opportunity or outcome.

Your team or board needs greater clarity, direction and alignment

You need to agree direction, priorities, roles or ways of working so everyone understands where you're heading and their part in getting there.

You're going around in circles

The conversations keep happening, but decisions aren't being made, priorities remain unclear or discussion isn't turning into action.

You want to set a collaboration up well from the beginning

You're starting something new and want to be clear about the purpose, involve the right people and create the conditions for people to work well together.

Good collaboration needs to be deliberately designed and supported. Drawing on my experience and research, my approach focuses on five connected elements: Foundations, Design, Facilitate, Implement, and Review and reflect. What each needs will depend on the people, purpose and context. Together, they help build trust, bring different perspectives into the conversation, and turn decisions into shared action.

Foundations

Understand what you're trying to achieve and what needs to be considered before moving ahead including: Purpose, context and what needs attention. Who needs to be involved and why. Different interests, cultures, expectations and power.

Design

Shape the process around the people, purpose and context including: How people can participate and contribute. How issues, options and decisions will be worked through. Approaches that recognise power, difference and potential tension.

Facilitate

Create the conditions for honest, inclusive and productive conversations including:. Different voices and perspectives are heard. Differences and difficult issues can be worked through. Conversations lead towards decisions, commitment and a shared way forward.

Implement

Turn decisions and agreements into action including: Clear actions, responsibilities and timeframes. Shared ownership, accountability and resources. Communication and ways to track progress.

Review and reflect

Step back, learn and adapt as the work progresses: Check progress and address emerging issues. Review relationships and ways of working. Learn from what's working and agree what needs to change.

How well is your collaboration working?

Take the Assessment

Every situation needs something different. You might want advice and guidance while you lead the work, independent support at key points, or someone to design and guide the whole process. I can work with you in the way that best fits what you're trying to achieve, the people involved and the level of support you need.

You lead the work, with my experience and expertise alongside you.

I can help you work out what needs attention, design an effective approach, choose the right tools and methods, and navigate challenges as they arise. I can also provide coaching and mentoring support when you're preparing for difficult conversations, working through conflict or uncertainty, or want a trusted sounding board as you lead the work.

We share responsibility for the process, with each of us leading where we can add the most value.

We design the approach together and agree who is best placed to lead each part. I can step in to facilitate important conversations or stages where independence is particularly valuable. This can work well when you want to retain an active role in leading the work while also being able to participate fully in important conversations.

I design and guide the process, working closely with you throughout.

This can work well when independence is important, the work is complex, capacity is an issue, or you want someone experienced to take responsibility for creating and guiding the process. I can take care of the design, coordination and facilitation, capture agreements and next steps, and support review and follow-through.

Why bring in an independent facilitator?

Sometimes the people leading the work need to be part of the conversation too.

At other times, different perspectives, competing interests or difficult issues make independence particularly valuable.

An independent facilitator can help:

Create a fair and inclusive process, where people have confidence that different voices and perspectives will be heard.
Surface and work through difficult issues, rather than allowing tension, disagreement or unspoken concerns to derail progress.
Keep conversations focused and moving, helping people get to the heart of the issue, make decisions and agree what happens next.
Protect relationships while working through differences, particularly when people need to continue working together afterwards.
Allow you to participate fully, rather than trying to contribute to the conversation while also managing everyone else's participation.

Independent facilitation isn't needed for every situation.

When it is, having someone who isn't tied to a particular position or outcome can make a significant difference to both the conversation and what happens afterwards.

Internal collaboration and team development
Shoma Prasad, Principal Engagement Advisor - Local Boards, Auckland Council

"Thank you so much for your openness and flexibility over the last two days. The Engagement Advisor cohort was incredibly appreciative of the safe space you created for them to openly share thoughts, challenges, and experiences"

Building clarity, alignment and commitment
Hanariki Mā, Chairperson, Northland Youth Theatre.

“This has been a highly impactful process helping our entire board to understand governance better, identify our gaps & goals and create a plan that inspires us into action. As a result, we are united as a board, clear on our roles and alive with the values of our organisation.”

Strategic planning shaped around the people and kaupapa
Chris Twiss, CEO, I Have a Dream Charitable Trust.

“Carolyn did a great job of quickly gaining an understanding of all of that and adapting and customising the strategic and operational planning processes accordingly. All of the sessions that she facilitated were very inclusive... The end outcomes are an excellent set of roadmaps that will really help guide the direction and success of the organisation over the next 3–5 years.”

Bringing different perspectives into a shared direction
Louise Saunders, CEO, Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust.

"Her facilitation helped distill our diverse perspectives into a cohesive logical structure, and we appreciated the time she allowed for important conversations and finding the commonalities in our diverse group."

Strengthening alignment within a senior leadership team
Jensen Webber CEO | Mahitahi Hauora PHO

“The two days we spent together were the most valuable from a team building perspective. I have already started using the new definitions of our values – its so much easier to describe and work towards as a result.”

Collaboration across organisations and sectors
Angela Mayson, former Partnerships Director, Department of Conservation

“Through collaborative strategic planning, both within the organisation and with partners from businesses, to government to communities, Carolyn initiated a step change in nature conservation and the links to social development... [and] worked to facilitate a wide range of collaborative initiatives across the motu with businesses and local government.”

Examples of how I’ve helped people work together to achieve something important.

The Sisterhood, Jakarta - Developing a first strategic plan.

The Sisterhood, an NGO supporting refugee women in Jakarta, wanted to develop its first strategic plan.

From New Zealand, I designed and facilitated a series of online workshops with the leadership team to help them agree their direction and priorities for the future.

Hapū, marae and DOC community collaboration - Turning local aspirations into plans.

Whānau from hapū, marae groups and trusts came together with Department of Conservation staff to develop plans for taiao and hapori projects in their rohe.

I facilitated the full-day hui, supporting four different groups to explore their aspirations and turn their ideas into practical plans.

Kauri ora wānanga - Co-designing a cross iwi/hapū collaboration.

Iwi and hapū representatives came together to explore how they could work collaboratively to strengthen kauri protection across the east coast of Te Tai Tokerau.

Through a contract with the Ministry for Primary Industries, I designed and facilitated the Kauri ora wānanga to help participants co-design a cross-iwi partnership and agree a way forward.

Rule Foundation Hui - Reaching agreement across different organisations.

Organisations supporting rainbow communities across Te Tai Tokerau needed to decide together how annual funding would be allocated through the Rul Foundation.

I facilitated a consensus decision-making hui that enabled the organisations involved to work through the decision together and reach agreement.

Department of Conservation and Northland Conservation Board - Building a shared foundation for working together.

Department of Conservation leaders and the Northland Conservation Board wanted to strengthen how they worked together and develop greater clarity about their shared direction.

I facilitated a series of strategic intent and direction-setting hui to explore shared values and goals, including their shared commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Northland businesses - Preparing businesses for disruption.

Northland businesses needed practical ways to prepare for disruptions such as floods, cyclones, power outages and road closures.

I designed and facilitated a series of business continuity planning workshops to help business owners think through the risks they faced and develop practical plans for responding. The workshops were delivered under contract to Northland New Zealand.

Strategic Planning for Communities - Nearly 40 boards of community organisations took part in nine workshops I designed and facilitated in partnership with Volunteering Northland.

Rather than simply learning about strategic planning, boards worked through the process together and developed their own plans, leaving with greater clarity about their purpose, direction, priorities and how they would measure progress.

Social resilience planning - Strengthening social resilience in rural communities.

Agencies, NGOs, hapū-led and community catchment groups came together to explore what social resilience means and how it could be built into their planning.

I designed and facilitated a series of regional and national, in-person and online sessions to help groups apply the thinking to their own communities. The work was delivered for Nature Positive and funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Let’s talk about what you’re working through

Let's talk

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Is independent facilitation worth the investment?

When a group of busy people spends hours in meetings that go in circles, avoids difficult issues or leaves without clear decisions and ownership, that already has a cost.

Independent facilitation is most valuable when the outcome matters enough to get the process right.

A well-designed and facilitated process can help people use their time well, bring different perspectives into the decision, work through difficult issues and leave with greater clarity, ownership and commitment to what happens next.

What does it cost?

The cost depends on what you're trying to achieve, who's involved and the level of support you need.

You don't necessarily need to bring me in to lead the whole process. I can provide advice, process design or coaching to help you lead it yourself, work alongside you at key stages, or take responsibility for designing and facilitating the process.

We'll talk first about what you're trying to achieve and the support that would add the most value. You'll know the cost and what's included before deciding whether to proceed.

How do I know whether we need outside support?

You may not. Sometimes you simply need advice or coaching to help you lead the work yourself.

In other situations, having someone independent design or facilitate the process can make a significant difference.

It may be worth considering outside support when conversations are going in circles, different interests or power dynamics need careful handling, important issues aren't being discussed, you need to participate fully yourself, or the outcome needs to be seen as fair and credible.

Isn’t this project management?

No. My role is usually focused on helping the people involved understand the issue, bring different perspectives together, make decisions, build commitment and agree a clear way forward.

Project management focuses on managing the detailed delivery: plans, timelines, budgets, tasks, reporting and coordination. The two can work alongside each other, but they solve different problems.

Carolyn Smith

Experience across government and community. Expertise in bringing people together.

I bring more than 30 years’ experience helping people work through important issues, bring different perspectives together and create a clear way forward.