Unquestionably, the crux of a middle manager's ability to engage effectively in collaboration is underpinned by an understanding of connections and the complexities and interdependencies that flow from them. This concerns knowledge of flows, relationships and linkages of various types over time and space – problems, organisational responsibilities, financial frameworks, governance and accountability systems and policies. The knowledge base centres on the system and how it is connected and works, and not so much on the individual constituent elements. Each middle manager participating in a collaborative is likely to provide some expertise/knowledge, but in addition, this needs to be accompanied by an understanding of how the collaborative system is structured and operates. The concept of ‘wicked issues’ provides one of the best explanations and justifications for collaboration – issues and problems that are cross boundary in character, socially constructed and not amenable to single organisations acting autonomously. Whether the problem is one of lack of educational attainment, poverty, crime and antisocial behaviour or sustainable development and cybercrime, the challenge for middle managers is to understand how elements are connected, and what these mean for potential collaborative engagements. Practitioners of collaboration often refer to ‘seeing the bigger picture’ or ‘understanding the jigsaw’ and how it fits together with a knowledge base of the connections and relationships – the public policy context, the organisations that are involved in delivering services around a particular wicked issue; the political and governance landscape; and funding possibilities. This narrative emphasises the ‘policy aspects’ of wicked issues but, as McConnell (2018) argues, it is also important to explore this notion through the lens of a ‘political approach’ that focuses on issues of reputation, political capital, the politics of managing dense and conflicting policy agendas and the promotion of ideological visions.

A middle manager in the Fire and Rescue Service in South Wales provides two practical examples from his policy area that demonstrate how he is able to make connections that benefit both his service and the services of his partners working together in a Community Safety Partnership.