Structure

The Business Capability Partnership is a partnership between a number of private and public sector organisations.

It is neither a talk fest, nor a high level think tank, nor a formal organisation.

It is pragmatic and action-orientated and the structure we have adopted reflects this approach.

The partnership is governed by a Steering Group which includes representatives from a number of organisations and has an independent chair. The Partnership's Consultation Group consists of all organisations that have expressed an interest in being involved and this group continues to expand as work progresses.

We have grouped capability-building services into the following six categories:

1. Business excellence models, business improvement methodologies and assessment tools, together with recognition and awards programmes
2. Research, knowledge management and benchmarking
3. Learning through networking and knowledge sharing
4. Standards and accreditation
5. Mentoring and advisory services
6. Formal and informal learning

For each of these areas we have formed a Working Group, chaired by a member of the Steering Group.

The Working Groups have a mandate to consider:

• the current state of supply and demand for relevant capability-building services
• how suppliers could improve their responsiveness to business needs
• how the knowledge of/demand for capability development can be raised amongst the business community
• what other work or research is necessary to improve understanding of the best way of developing business capability

Working Groups will develop proposals pertinent to their particular areas and make recommendations for action to the Steering Group. They will consult widely in the business community and also provide feedback on any proposals that the Steering Group may receive from outside organisations.

It is the intention of the BCP to publish widely the work, conclusions and recommendations of the Partnership. The objective is to use channels that will reach straight into as many New Zealand enterprises as possible. These channels will include the web sites and mailing lists of all associated organisations, business media and a range of other options.

The Business Capability Partnership is at present funded by the Government through the Ministry for Economic Development. The Steering Group is able to apply to the Government's Management Development Fund for funding to cover the cost of implementing projects recommended by the Working Groups. Private sector contributions at present are through the provision of time by members of the Steering Group and Working Groups, who, with the exception of the Chair, provide their services free of charge.