collective impact - sheatufim conference 2015
TRANSCRIPT
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Collective ImpactPREPARED FOR SHEATUFIM | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
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There are several different types of problems
Source: Adapted from “Getting to Maybe”
Traditional approaches to social change are not solving our most complex problems
technical solutions
Complicated Complexemergent systemsstep-by-step recipes
Simple
baking a cake building a rocket to send to the moon
improving community health
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Collective impact is a structured, multi-sector approach to address complex problems
Collective impact is the commitment of a group of important actors
from different sectors to a common agenda for addressing
a specific complex problem
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Collective impact has five elements
COMMON AGENDA
SHARED MEASUREMENT
MUTUALLYREINFORCING
ACTIVITIES
BACKBONE ORGANIZATION
CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION
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Collective impact has been successfully applied to many different complex challenges
Education Health
Economic DevelopmentYouth Development
Environment
Community Development
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Source: FSG research and analysis
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A facilitator of collective impact aims to get participants to embrace systems leadership
Cover article in Winter 2015 Issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review
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Most change processes don’t go deep enough in learning to lead to transformative change
“Observe, observe, observe”
“Act swiftly, with a
natural flow”
Presence“Retreat and reflect” and
allow inner knowledge to emerge
Most Change Processes
Analyze Act
Decidevs.
Transformative Change Processes
Sense Realize
Source: Presence, An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society; 2004; Senge, Peter, Scharmer, C.Otto, Jaworski, Joseph, & Flowers, Betty Sue.
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Social change leaders transform into systems leaders by developing certain capabilities
See the system in which actors are embedded
Foster reflection and generative conversation
Shifting collective focus from reactive problem-solving to co-creation
ToolsCapability
System Mapping
Learning Journeys
Appreciative Inquiry
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A systems leadership approach to catalyzing change requires a number of mindset shifts
Technical solutions to problems
Adaptive solutions to problems
Silver bullet Silver buckshot
Credit hoarded Credit as shared currency
Focus on evidence Focus on evidence and relationships
Source: Channeling Change: Making Collective Impact Work, 2012; Essential Mindset Shifts for Collective Impact; 2014.
Content Expertise Content and context expertise
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A great philosopher eloquently described systems leaders about 2,500 years ago
The wicked leader is he whom the people despise.
The good leader is he whom the people revere.
The great leader is he of whom people say, “We did it ourselves.”
Lao TzuTao Te Ching (The Book of the Way)
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Launching a collective impact initiative has several prerequisites
Influential Champion and Supportive Leadership
• Champions are respected by and have the ability to engage cross-sector leaders
• Government leadership is engaged
Urgency for Change• Critical, complex problem in the community• Frustration with existing approaches
Availability of Resources
• Committed, potential funding partners with sustained funding for at least 3 – 5 years of infrastructural investments
Basis for Collaboration
• Trusted relationships among cross-sector actors• Presence of existing collaborative efforts
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Collective Impact in action looks like this
partner-driven action
strategic guidance and support = community
partner (e.g., nonprofit, funder, business, public agency, parent)
Community partners working on strategies
Backbone support
• Guides strategy• Supports
aligned activities• Establishes
shared measurement
• Builds public will• Advances policy• Mobilizes
resources
Steering committee
Work group
Work group
Work group
Work group
ChairChair
ChairChair
ChairChair
Chair
Chair
Common agenda and shared metrics
* Adapted from Listening to the Stars: The Constellation Model of Collaborative Social Change, by Tonya Surman and Mark Surman, 2008.
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Program and service providers are critical to Collective Impact and can play many roles
A representative from the program or service provider serves as a member of a Collective Impact initiative’s steering committee
A representative from the program or service provider serves as a member of a Collective Impact initiative’s working group
Program and service providers align their activities and goals to the common agenda and shared measurement system
Program and service providers rarely serve as the backbone because backbones need to be neutral; however, this is not a hard and fast rule
Program and service providers can help catalyze a call to action for a more comprehensive, system-wide approach
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Many people have responsibility – yet no one person makes all the decisions
Community partner
Working Group
• Individual organizations and members of the community (e.g, nonprofit, funder, business, public agency, student, parent,)
• Partners should have access to a variety of opportunities to learn about and engage in the initiative, and will be key to implementing strategies
• Ultimate “power” resides within the community at large
• Comprised of cross-sector community partners targeting particular element of common agenda
• Designs and implements strategies, involving non-working group members as needed
Steering Committee
• Provides strategic direction for the initiative• Champions the work• Aligns own work to common agenda• Some Steering Committee members serve on working groups
Backbone • Provides dedicated staff • Supports the work of partners by assisting with strategic
guidance, supporting aligned activity, establishing shared measurement, building public will, advancing policy, and mobilizing resources