A Look at Collaboration

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A Look at Collaboration

• National Extension Family Life Specialists
  Conference
• April 27, 2005
• Ellen Taylor-Powell, Ph.D.
• Evaluation Specialist
• University of Wisconsin-Extension

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• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
  committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,
  it is the only thing that ever has.
• Margaret Mead

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Todays discussion

• Types of collaborations currently engaging
  Extension educators
• Lessons being learned
• 5 key dimensions of collaboration
• Hope to unbundle some of the complexity of
  collaboration
• Conceptual and empirical research from fields of
  educational research, organizational
  development/management, community psychology and
  community coalition building, public health and
  newer models in evaluation participatory and
  collaborative evaluation

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Current context Why the bandwagon?

• Complex problems
• Hard-pressed resources
• Social fragmentation
• Disengaged citizens
• Rapid, sweeping change

Vs. Lone Ranger model
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Metaphors of collaboration

• Table talk Think about one collaborative that
  you are a part of. Describe it to your neighbor
  using a metaphor to capture its essence.

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Definition

• Collaborative structure or group working
  together to achieve a shared vision
• Collaboration the process through which parties
  who see different aspects of a program can
  explore constructively their differences and
  search for (and implement) solutions that go
  beyond their own limited vision of what is
  possible (Gray, 1989)

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Better together
Joint work toward a common end (Rogets,
1995) To achieve a mutual goal that couldnt be
accomplished independently
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An elusive concept Navigating the language

• Confusing language known by many names used to
  mean many things common vernacular
• collaboration, partnership, coalition, alliances,
  strategic alliances, consortia, networks,
  intersectoral groups
• A catchall signifies almost any type of
  inter-organizational or inter-personal
  relationship, making it difficult to put into
  practice or evaluate
• Need for clarity in language create shared
  understanding language does have meaning
• Collaboration is a means to an end and an end
  itself

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• Seen as most effective way to address complex
  issues
• Political mandate funding imperative
• Public sector
• Nonprofit sector
• Organizations team culture
• Unfortunately, the pervasive requirement for
  partnership has not yet been matched with
  corresponding understanding of how to translate
  the rhetoric into practice (Halliday et al, 2004)

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Collaboratives in Extension A
Heuristicmulti-multi-multi-
Multi-state Extension projects Research projects Integrated
Multi-institutional 1862, 1890, 1994, Hispanic serving, other educational institutions
Multi-agency Various agencies, may be within one sector or one federal agency
Multi-sector Public, private, non-profit, voluntary publics
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Heuristic of collaboratives
Multi-discipline Cross program area Cross academic disciplines
Multi-site Program implemented at different sites may be county faculty implementing
Multi-level Different levels, status
Work unit Self-directed teams county offices working as single unit
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Multi-state collaboration
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Education and Research Network
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Our heuristic

• Range in no two are alike what we might
  expect of each or how each functions will vary
• Geographic focus international, national,
  multi-state, regional, campus, multi-county,
  county, multi-community, local community
• Internal external
• Extension as member
• Extension as consultant, trainer
• Life span short many years
• Origin
• Purpose 5 Cs

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What is the groups purpose?
Structure Process Integration
Network Communication
Support group Contribution Independent goals
Task force, council, alliance Coordination Complementary goals
Partnership, consortium Cooperation Joint goals, individual identities
Collaborative Collaboration Joint goals, joint identify


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What about our roles? What roles do we play in
collaboratives?

• Leader promotes vision and direction
• Facilitator guides the process
• Coach/mentor encourages excellence supports
  relationship
• Trainer skill developer
• Modeler demonstrate behaviors
• Linker/networker access resources new
  partners build bridges
• Mediator facilitates conflict management
• Evaluator appraises processes and results
• Cheerleader spreads spirit celebrates
• Champion advocates of collaborative,
  collaborative approach and issue

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What do we know about roles?

• Roles change
• Internal - external roles
• May play multiple roles simultaneously
• Clarity is important open conversations about
  role
• Negotiate/renegotiate roles

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Benefits of collaboration Expected Outcomes

• Personal growth encounter multiple perspectives
• Increased productivity
• Enhanced motivation
• Advanced thinking, creativity quality of work
• Combined insights and wisdom enriches field
• Solve more complicated issues
• Access to resources/additional sources of funding
• New areas of research new opportunities open up
• Access to and development of instruments
• Access to and development of data
• Increased visibility, recognition

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Synergy

• The power to combine the perspectives, resources
  and skills of a group of people and organizations
  to create something new and valuable.
• Laskar, 2001

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The whole is greater than the sum of the parts
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Phases of collaborative development

• Loose chronological phases - continuum
• Form, Norm, Storm, Perform, Adjourn
• Series of tasks and activities with the various
  phases
• Negotiated order social order is shaped through
  self-conscious interactions of participants
• Collaboratives evolve
• Make meaning through interaction

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Phases of collaborative development
Transform, terminate Sustain capacity Achieve
individual, system, community change
Achieve and Transform
Adjourn
Celebrate progress Ensure support Design and
implement actions Develop action plans
Organize and Act
Perform
Define goals and expected outcomes Set structure,
procedures Create shared vision Develop
relationships Identify, mobilize stakeholders
Storm
Form and Focus
Norm
Form
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Unbundling collaboration

1. Self-Interests
2. Feasibility of collaboration
3. Collaborative relationship
4. Collaborative product
5. Collaborative effectiveness Value added from
   collaboration

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Self-Interests

• Collaborations are initiated and driven by
  individual interests. For collaboration to
  occur, individuals must believe that working
  together serves their own interests and is worth
  the costs.
• Expectancy theory degree to which individual
  believes the linkage between his/her action and
  resultant outcome. Expect team work to lead to
  desired goals.

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Why do you participate? What do you hope to gain?

• Productivity papers, curricula cant do it
  alone
• Collegiality
• Passion for the issue
• Credibility, recognition
• To feel less isolated
• Enhance learning, creativity
• Required - recommended

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Feasibility of collaboration - Readiness

• Is collaborative warranted, needed, likely to
  succeed?
• Is timing right?
• How ready is the community agency environment
  for this collaboration?
• What is the historical context?
• What are the facilitators/barriers? political
  realities/liabilities?
• Resource availability?

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Feasibility

• Collaboration is not always best or appropriate,
  depending upon issue/situation and purpose.
• Feasibility in terms of
• Collaborative (the group)
• Individual member
• Agency/organization

Not a bandwagon but a thoughtful, intentional
choice
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Building a logic model of collaboration
SITUATION
Collaborative Effectiveness
EVALUATION
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Collaboration Theory of change
Change in Knowldge Attitudes Skills Motivation In
tent Self-efficacy
Change in behaviors
Partners

• Clientele
• Users
• Policy makers

Implement activities action plan Monitor and
evaluate Communicate
Policy changes
Funding
Changes in conditions
Key stake holders
System changes
Value-added
Research-based
Community changes
Advocacy/Policy
Capacity building -TA

• Change in
• behaviors
• decision making

• Change in
• KAS
• Self-efficacy
• Intent

• Effective functioning partnership
• Member satisfaction

Collaborative Relationship building

• Individual members
• Group

C O N T E X T political environment,
organizational cultures, regional turf, funding
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Collaborative Relationship - Internal functioning

• Burgeoning research since mid 90s because found
  to be so central to performance and outcomes.
• Community coalitions have not lived up to
  expectations.
• Emphasis on internal dynamics factors linking to
  effectiveness and efficiency
• Little empirical support about best practices
  given variation in practice

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What seems to matter

• Capacity
• Operations
• Climate
• Context

Open conversations in all these areas facilitates
more effective collaboration
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Capacity

• Member attributes gender, career status,
  professional status, cultural heritage skills,
  expertise, work style, tolerance for sharing
  power flexibility/willingness to adapt
• Group size, diversity
• Complementarity of members
• Attitudes interest in collaboration open
• Status differentials
• Standards and expectations

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Operations

• Operating procedures
• Planning goal setting (logic modeling)
• Roles and responsibilities
• Member participation
• Leadership
• Decision making
• Communications within and outside
• Capacity building
• Conflict management
• Linkages external, internal
• Accountability to individual, to team

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Climate

• Trust character-based competency-based
• Communications
• Interactions
• Respect
• Compatibilities
• Satisfaction

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Context

• Culture
• Value of collaboration
• Incentive and reward system
• History of collaborative work
• Credit, authorship
• Resources
• Collaborative origins
• Proximity of partners

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Collaborative Product External focus

• Products, services, activities, networks,
  curriculum, etc. that collaborative creates
• Note community coalitions often not to provide
  services
• Outcomes changes desired conditions the
  collaborative seeks to achieve what you are
  creating as a result of working together.
• Behavioral change Individual, group
• Policy change
• System change
• Community change
• Ultimately, change in conditions

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Collaborative Outcomes Issues

• Who decides and defines?
• Horizontal complexity
• Vertical complexity
• Are outcomes important, realistic?
• Underlying theory of change
• Time frame
• External factors

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Collaborative Effectiveness Ultimate outcomes

• Value added partnership as a whole yields more
  than what could have been accomplished by
  individual
• Value added indicators dependent upon
  particular collaborative
• May be difficult to set a priori
• You get what you measure

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Collaborative effectiveness Ultimate outcomes

• Value-added
• Quantitative and qualitative synergistic program
  outcomes
• Linkages with other programs and actors
• Enhanced capacity and influence
• Other multiplier effects
• Partners meet own objectives
• Enhanced performance in pursuing own mission
• Enhanced performance in satisfying constituencies
• Partnership identify
• Partnership culture and values
• Name recognition
• Partnership constituencies

Brinkerhoff, 2002)
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Lessons learned

• It is hard and time consuming but benefits can be
  more than worth it
• No two are alike
• A journey, as well as a destination
• Personal is as important as procedural
• Process is as important as outcome
• Demands time and investment of resources
• Key aspects Commitment to need of the
  partnership Clear, defined agreed upon goals
  Defined operating procedures Atmosphere is one
  of trust and respect Mutual accountability

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• We build the road and the road builds us.
• -Sri Lankan saying

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Web address

• http//www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande

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