The Collective Impact FrameworkCollective Impact is a framework to tackle deeply entrenched and complex social problems. It is an innovative and structured approach to making collaboration work across government, business, philanthropy, non-profit organisations and citizens to achieve significant and lasting social change.The Collective Impact approach is premised on the belief that no single policy, government department, organisation or program can tackle or solve the increasingly complex social problems we face as a society. Centre for Social ImpactC4SI_c7d418f0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae33Our mission is to improve the delivery of beneficial social impact in Australia through research, teaching, measurement and the promotion of public debate.John KaniaJohn Kania & Mark Kramer first wrote about collective impact in the Stanford Social Innovation Review in 2011 and identified five key elements [documented as goals in this StratML rendition]Mark KramerSocial Impact AustraliaSIA_c7d41a30-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae33Our purpose is to create better leadership for a better Australia.Deeply entrenched and complex social problems are tackled to achieve significant and lasting social change_c7d41aee-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae33To make collaboration work across government, business, philanthropy, non-profit organisations and citizens_c7d41c88-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae33Common AgendasThe approach calls for multiple organisations or entities from different sectors to abandon their own agenda in favour of a common agenda, shared measurement and alignment of effort.Shared Performance MetricsWhat are shared measures?Shared measurement has been defined as the "use of a common set of measures to monitor performance, track progress towards outcomes and learn what is and is not working in the group’s collective approach" (John Kania, FSG).images-7Shared measures allow a Collective Impact initiative to:* Improve Data Quality* Track Progress Toward a Shared Goal* Enable Coordination and Collaboration* Learn and Course Correct* Catalyze ActionCentralisationUnlike collaboration or partnership, Collective Impact initiatives have centralised infrastructure -- known as a backbone organisation -- with dedicated staff whose role is to help participating organisations shift from acting alone to acting in concert (image courtesy of Centre for Community Child Health (2013)).Mutual ReinforcementWhat are mutually reinforcing activities?Collective impact initiatives operate"not by requiring that all participants do the same thing, but by encouraging each participant to undertake the specific set of activities at which it excels in a way that supports and is coordinated with the action of others" (Kania and Kramer)Mutually reinforcing activities do not have to be developed collectively but the efforts and activities must be aligned towards achieving the common agenda and grounded on the initiatives shared measures of success.Strategic AlignmentAgendaAdopt a common agenda_c7d41da0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae331All participants have a common agenda for change including a shared understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions.Collective impact requires all participants to have a shared vision for change, one that includes a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions. This is known as the common agenda.So how do we do it? At a very high level, a three step process for developing a common agenda is outlined below. A more detailed process is outlined in the 'How To' Guide under Create common agenda and shared measures...Remember – this takes time!With the diversity of people around the table and the need to collect and analyse data, it is not surprising to learn that setting a common agenda takes time -- sometimes up to 18 months.It can be a frustrating experience which challenges people’s motivation and commitment. Good facilitation is essential to help steer the group through this part of the process, as is intentionally creating early wins – even if they are not strategic or highly impactful in nature.Above all, it is important to stay with the process and resist the temptation to jump ahead to planning or implementation until the common agenda is robust, clear and agreed.EngagementEngage broadly and with unusual suspects_c7d41e54-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae331.1The most successful Collective Impact initiatives have learnt that if you bring the same players together they will invariably have the same conversation they have always had.To intentionally create a different conversation, 'unusual suspects' need to be engaged. Some unusual suspect may be people who have great influence – who bring gravitas to the process; others may be people with lived experience of the social challenge; and others because they are outliers who have the perspective and ability to shift the conversation towards new thinking and ideas.Interestingly, the most successful Collective Impact initiatives have had people in leadership positions from business or philanthropy who bring with them a disciplined focus on process and results.Problem DefinitionDefine the problem being tackled_c7d41f12-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae331.2First, it is important to create boundaries as the problem being addressed is complex and multifaceted. There needs to be significant attention given to the root cause of the problem and problems which will have a significant impact on the agenda.It needs to be remembered -- and factored in -- that the common agenda can evolve over time as new partners join the initiative and the expertise in the room changes, or new information becomes available.The need for data -- Data is essential to clearly define the nature and size of the social challenge and to narrow the focus of the Collective Impact agenda. This involves collecting and analysing existing data sets. Often new data needs to be collected to fill data gaps. Only once the data gathering and analysis is complete can the common agenda and goals be set.Performance PlanDevelop a plan of action_c7d41fd0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae331.3Once the problem has been defined a strategic action framework has to be developed. The purpose of the framework is to outline the way in which the problem will be tackled and clarify the role of each organization in this process.Creating a plan for action requires balancing the necessity of having clearly defined functions and responsibilities for each organization, while allowing enough space for emergent learning to happen and be incorporated in the strategy.Performance MetricsCollect data and measure results_c7d42084-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae332Collecting data and measuring results consistently across all the participants ensures shared measurement for alignment and accountability...Developing a shared measurement system is essential to collective impact. Agreement on a common agenda is illusionry without agreement on the ways success will be measured and reported. Collecting data and measuring results consistently on a short list of indicators at the community level and across all participating organisations not only ensures that all efforts remain aligned, it also enables the participants to hold each other accountable and learn from each other’s successes and failures.Reaching agreement on shared measurements is one of the more difficult aspects of collective impact work...How to develop a shared measurement systemThere are three phases to developing a shared measurement system.Design_c7d42142-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae332.1* Shared vision for the system and its relation to broader goals, theory of change or roadmap* View of current state of knowledge and data* Governance and organization for structured participation* Identification of metrics, data collection approach, including confidentiality/ transparencyDevelopment_c7d42200-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae332.2* Shared vision for the system and its relation to broader goals, theory of change or roadmap* View of current state of knowledge and data* Governance and organization for structured participation* Identification of metrics, data collection approach, including confidentiality/ transparencyDeployment_c7d422be-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae332.3* Learning forums and continuous improvement* Ongoing infrastructure support* Improve system based on a pilot, review, refinement, and ongoing evaluation of usabilityPerformance PlanCompile a plan of action._c7d42390-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333A plan of action that outlines and coordinates mutually reinforcing activities for each participant...The power of collective action comes not from the sheer number of participants or the uniformity of their efforts, but from the coordination of their differentiated activities through a mutually reinforcing plan of action. Mutually reinforcing activities ensures that the significant efforts and activities of collaborators are aligned towards achieving the common agenda and shared measures.This element of the Collective Impact framework commences once common agenda and shared measures have been developed and launched. The focus of this element is to align the existing resources and effort in the system towards achieving the common agenda and shared measures. Many Collective Impact practitioners say that this is the 'real work' of Collective Impact. Affectionately, this work is often described as 'herding cats.ActivitiesOutline activities for each participant_c7d42458-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333.1Multi-Problem IndividualsRefers to people facing multiple issues at once, for example a homeless person suffering from mental health issues and being jobless. For these individuals, successfully addressing one need frequently entails addressing the others concurrently, and thus requires the synchronous provision of a range of complementary services. Under this arrangement, member organizations coordinate their efforts to supply a suite of heterogeneous services capable of addressing the various needs of social service seekers.Individuals Needing Ongoing SupportMulti-faceted problems -- Refers to problems having multiple phases, for example ensuring a child acquires a career necessitates ensuring that he or she does not drop out of the education pipeline at various stages. Tackling multi-faceted problems requires the delivery of, often similar, services at various points in time, tailored to the evolving needs and environment of the individuals.Types of activities -- Mutually reinforcing activities can be generally configured in three ways, meaning the collective impact initiative can organize their activities to service (1) multi-problem individuals, (2) address multifaceted problems, or (3) a combination of bothCoordinationCoordinate activities_c7d42516-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333.2How to mutually align the activities of a collaboration -- It is important to highlight some aspects of the work of creating mutually reinforcing activities:The means by which the collaborators or backbone organisation staff align the leadership and practice of others is through influence, not direct authority. Organisational leaders (be they government, business, philanthropy or non-profit) need to 'opt-in' to aligning the resources and effort of their organisation to the common agenda and shared measures. This is easiest when those leaders have been involved in the setting of common agenda and development of shared measures. Those leaders who did not have that opportunity will need time and support to understand the opportunity, benefits and implications of 'opting-in' to the Collective Impact initiative.Change management - Small -- Organisational change needs to be supported in order for the resources and effort within participating organisation to become more aligned to achieving the common agenda and shared measures. Some organisations may need to change their practice to better reflect the evidence base, others may need to change through innovation and learn by doing.The activities of participating organisations must be differentiated while still being coordinated through a mutually reinforcing plan of action.Efforts & De-DuplicationBuild upon existing efforts and discouraging duplication_c7d425fc-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333.2.1Leverage & SupportSupport and leveraging each others' efforts_c7d426ce-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333.2.2Skills, Passion & ExpertiseDistribute activities to take advantage of existing skills, passion & expertise_c7d427a0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333.2.3Continuous ImprovementUse data as the foundation for a learning system focused on the continuous improvement of the practice of the participating organisations_c7d42890-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333.2.4Scale Up or StoppageUse data as the foundation to determine which innovations should be scaled and which should be stopped_c7d42980-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae333.2.5CommunicationCommunicate openly and continuously_c7d42a66-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae334Internal CommunicatorsInternal communication -- When communicating internally, member organizations can choose various channels such as online platforms, face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, and how often.The way to communicate effectively will change and flow and be re-evaluated in the light of new information and changes in the environment.However, it is important for all partners to have equal representation and involvement in all interactions, to ensure that decision-making is collaborative and takes into account all members’ point of view.External CommunicatorsExternal communications -- In addition to communicating with other member organizations, it is important to ensure priority is given when communicating with external stakeholders.In fact, listening to the community, and communicating results to the public, is an important component of building and sustaining a successful collective impact initiative as it allows the collaborative to identify the areas they should be targeting, as well as build public support for the collective effort.Open and continuous communication is needed across the many players to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and create common motivation...In order to commit to common agenda, shared measurement systems and a joint action plan, collaborators need to trust each other, and know that their interests are equally valued and protected. Continuous communication provides the platform for trust to be developed, concerns to be addressed, and ideas to be discussed between organisations that may have previously been in competition.TrustBuild trust_c7d42b9c-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae334.1Building community will and leadership engagement -- In order to commit to shared measurement systems and a joint action plan, collective impact partners need to trust each other, and know that their interests are equally valued and protected.Continuous communication provides a platform for concerns to be addressed, ideas to be discussed and trust to be developed between organizations that may have previously been in competition.Consistent and honest communication also assists in the development of a common language, the foundation for creating a common agenda and agreeing on common targets and benchmarks. It also helps maintain and improve collaborative efforts through the sharing of knowledge and the monitoring of results.ObjectivesAssure mutual objectives_c7d42cb4-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae334.2MotivationCreate common motivation_c7d42dcc-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae334.3CoordinationCreate a coordinating organization_c7d42ed0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae335Backbone OrganisationsThe Backbone Organisation -- A defining feature of the Collective Impact approach is the role of a backbone organisation - a separate organisation dedicated to coordinating the various dimensions and collaborators involved in the initiative. Supporting backbone infrastructure is essential to ensuring the collective impact effort maintains momentum and facilitates impact.A backbone organisation(s) with staff and specific set of skills to serve the entire initiative and coordinate participating organisations and agencies...There are six functions of a backbone organisation ... along with key indicators to measure how well these functions are performed. Misperceptions of a backbone organisation -- The role and functions of backbone organisations can often be misunderstood, particularly in early stage Collective Impact initiatives. The most common misperception are:* The backbone organisation sets the agenda for the group* The backbone organisation drives the solutions* The backbone organisation receives all the funding* The role of backbone can be self appointed rather than selected by the community* That the role of backbone isn't fundamentally different from "business as usual" in terms of staffing, time, and resourcesGuidanceGuide vision and strategy_c7d42fc0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae335.1SupportSupport aligned activities_c7d430b0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae335.2MetricsEstablish shared measurement practices_c7d431fa-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae335.3WillingnessBuild public will_c7d433bc-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae335.4PolicyAdvance policy_c7d434c0-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae335.5FundingMobilize funding_c7d435ce-09cd-11e6-8c23-dac945c7ae335.62016-04-23http://www.collaborationforimpact.com/collective-impact/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net