Shared Service Factor Considerations

• Public perception of duplicative efforts in local governments
• Tight budgets that require service re-evaluation and re-engineering efforts
• Political pressure to make government more efficient
• Professional staff who see opportunities for make government service delivery more efficient and better for the customer
• Changes in key leadership positions (e.g. two or three police chief or HR Director positions open simultaneously in adjacent organizations)
• Past successes in shared services efforts which have fostered a climate of collaboration
• Legislative mandates
• Witnessing the success of others and deciding to try it at home (competitive forces)

Principles for Service Sharing

• Recognizing Complexity
• Building Trust
• Understanding the Amount of Time and Effort that will be Needed
• Managing Expectations
• Ensuring Ongoing Leadership
• Maintaining Healthy Relationships
• Celebrate Small Victories

Assuring Unsuccessful Partnership Efforts

• MANDATE them
• Be INCONSISTENT in keeping up the PRESSURE NEEDED TO ACHIEVE
• RESULTS
• EXPECT quick results in a SHORT TIME
• IGNORE the need for MUTUAL BENEFIT
• Go QUICKLY with the OBVIOUS choice
• EXPECT to save money AND get better service
• DON’T WORRY about who will LEAD the effort
• COPY what others are doing and expect the results to be EXACTLY transferable
• PUNISH all false starts
• Don’t worry about DIFFERING MISSIONS
• SKIP right past the “BUILDING A GOOD RELATIONSHIP” and the “BUILDING TRUST” phases

Fundamental Questions

• Does it have the potential to save money?
• Does it have the potential to provide an equal to or better service level?
• Is it a sustainable solution over the long-term?

Necessities for Successful Collaborations

• Political will
• Administrative leadership
• Foresight and vision
• Have a “champion” for the cause
• Persistence
• Go beyond the study
• Trust & Honesty
• Open and inclusive process
• Creativity and flexibility
• Equitable and consensus based solutions
• Timing
• Adoption of appropriate governance model
• There is no one size fits all approach