Collaborative Action and Collective Impact
What is collaborative action?
Collaborative action is the process of working with community members on a joint project toward a specific goal. By aligning on and pursuing sustainable, collaborative action, we can make a difference and affect systems change.
At Achieve Brown County we currently convene six Collaborative Action Teams. These teams work together to solve complex problems that could not be solved by one organization alone. These teams typically include representatives from diverse segments of our community such as K-12 school districts, post-secondary institutions, healthcare, business and non-profit sectors.
What is collective impact?
Collective impact initiatives involve a centralized infrastructure, a dedicated staff, and a structured process that leads to a common agenda, shared measurement, continuous communication, and mutually reinforcing activities among all participants.
When we use the term collective impact we are referring to the outcomes of our collaborative action work.
StriveTogether’s approach to collective impact is captured in our guiding framework, the StriveTogether Theory of Action™. The theory of action supports communities to work toward changing the systems that shape opportunity.
At Achieve Brown County, we are proud to be leading efforts for community-led collective impact which have led to significant improvements in five of six outcomes critical to the success of Brown County youth.
Community members must come together to act on the data collected. Partnerships often form networks or collaboratives focused on improving an outcome and eliminating disparities. They use continuous improvement practices to test strategies, with the goal of scaling what works and shifting or abandoning what doesn’t.
Sources:
[1] Kramer, J. K. & M., & Kania, J. (2011). Collective impact (SSIR). Stanford Social Innovation Review: Informing and Inspiring Leaders of Social Change. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/collective_impact.
Published: April 20, 2021
Edited: August 5, 2021
