Assigning People as Number One Priority various activities when researchers engage in col- laborative work with their respective communities. A CONCEPTUAL MODEL The intrinsic and extrinsic groups of factors that are vital to a successful research partnership are illustrated in Figure 1. The figure depicts that ef- fective partnership functioning builds on many interacting pillars. The multiple features address personnel factors and barriers; organisational factors and barriers; human and personal traits; power-related factors; time factors; and outcomes. Given that the variables are intricately interlaced, this makes the various factors difficult to isolate, and when evaluations are commissioned difficult to attribute what has led to the effectiveness of a partnership. The multiple features highlighted in the figure collectively enable partnerships to or outcomes. This is because many more of the challenges that face partnerships are generated by the simple fact of people from different agen- cies and organizations and with different values and traditions working together. Conversely, far fewer of the challenges that face partnerships are attributed to what the partners are actually trying to accomplish and achieve. The implication is that while establishing a working partnership is a science with a growing evidence base, it is also as much an "art" in that it requires imagination, foresight, and experimentation. This highlights the importance of simultaneously understanding the "processes" of partnerships rather than focusing solely on outcomes (Granner & Sharpe, 2004), and acknowledging the complexities of such a way of working (Grice, 2001; Mitchell & Shortell, 2000; Mizrahi & Rosenthal, 2001).