4. Relationships

This box on the Lean Change Canvas focuses on the relationships you will have to your targets. This is not so much a mechanical listing of links to the targets so much as a set of hypotheses about the tangible and emotional relationship you will have with the people and organizations you are targeting. What type of relationships do you already have, and how will those change as a result of your innovation? How will your targets first become aware of you? What will the ongoing relationship be like, and how will your targets themselves help you spread your innovation? Finally, what will it cost to have these relationships and what kind of revenue might come in return?

The more human the relationships the better. We all know that a visit to a senator’s office is better than sending a white paper. At the same time, the Relationships box offers one of the most concrete places to test hypotheses in numerical terms. One way to visualize this is the double-ended funnel used in the business world to embody three key relationship tasks:

• Get: How will you actually engage or “sell” your targets on your innovation? How will you lead them through the process of becoming aware of you, being interested, considering the change, and then finally engaging with or buying into the innovation you’ve created?

Figure 4.2 Get–Keep–Grow: The Relationships Funnel

• Keep: How will you keep the relationships you establish? How will you let your targets know you are paying attention and using their feedback or adapting to changing conditions they face?

• Grow: The best way to grow your innovation will likely be by building on the relationships you already have. Can you get new relationships by unbundling parts of your innovation or offering customized versions tuned to specific needs? Can you offer more of your service or product, or expand your relationships to additional pieces of your innovation from their original engagement? Your reputation with your targets and their willingness to testify to the value you are creating is probably the most important way to grow as a social sector innovation. Not only does their good will and positive experience help attract others in the field, it is a big predictor of foundation and donor interest as well.

There’s a lot to be said about the role of relationships in social sector innovation, and it’s very easy to get caught up in elaborate plans for all three elements of this funnel or whatever other long-term framework you adopt to develop your relationships. At this early stage, just put your thoughts on the canvas and get out and test. Then keep revisiting the questions raised as you develop your relationships. Table 4.4 shows sample entries for the Relationships box for each of our case studies.

Table 4.4 Sample Relationships