Regardless of the organization, collaboration occurs best when there is:
- The existence of trust,
- The will to work toward a common goal,
- And the ability to work together on equal terms.
Effective, Action Oriented Collaboration Techniques
Presented by: Shelby Fiegel, Assistant Director - Center for Community and Economic Development
Contact:
Shelby Fiegel
501-450-5269
sfiegel@uca.edu
Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED)
Shaping the future of Arkansas communities.
Mission - To have a positive impact on communities by:
- equipping leaders with economic tools and resources
- building consensus to achieve community goals and
- bringing UCA resources and communities together.
Vision - We envision communities with robust economies, a flourishing quality of life, and diverse and engaged citizen leaders.
Community Development Institute (CDI)
Why Collaborate?
Collaboration and Limited Resources
Organizations and Collaboration
“Collaboration for survival is a practice that has played out through the centuries and, yet, it has rarely been a simple or easy process.”- Schwartz
With limited resources, the need to work together becomes more urgent.
- State Organizations: Mission is to build partnerships, to maximize resources
- City Government: Democratic process, to respond to community feedback, to better the community
- Private Businesses: Collaborate to provide a product, to maximize profit, to gain a competitive advantage
- Non-Profits: Collaborate to meet a need, to maximize resources, to avoid duplication of efforts, to reach a broader audience
Partnerships, coalitions, alliances, networks, consortia, collaboratives, associations, committees, advisory boards = Mediums for Collaboration
Collaboration is a process that must be committed to by an organization and all of the people participating.
Basis of the Collaborative Process
- A primary component of any collaborative effort is relationship building
- Relationships must be built on equal terms
- The relationship should be mutually beneficial
Elements of Successful Collaboration
What did we learn from this activity?
- A common goal acknowledged by all participating parties
- A small group of core participants
- Small scale beginning activities
- Large measure of flexibility
- Ability to learn from mistakes
- Focus on activities
- Rewards for involvement
Adapted from Collaboration: Building Common Agendas, Schwartz
What is Collaboration?
- “Working together for a common end.”- Models of Collaboration, Fishbaugh
2. Different stakeholders will play different roles in the process
1. It’s easy to leave someone out
What has been a barrier to you in your local program development?
- “When people from different organizations produce something together through a joint effort, resources, and decision making, and share ownership of the final product or service.”- Collaboration: Using Networks and Partnerships, Kamensky & Burlin
- “Having common agendas, sharing power and status, and building consensus; these require commitment and more give than take on the part of all parties.”- Collaboration: Building Common Agendas, Schwartz
3. Many people have a stake in your efforts
4. Without getting the right people to the table, you might miss an opportunity to leverage resources, push away key players, duplicate efforts, or spend a lot of time educating key players on the back end of your project.
- A process of a group of equals working together toward a common goal.
Barriers and Momentum Killers
Letting perfect get in the way of good
Commitment with no timeline
Fear of moving forward without unanimous agreement
Unclear expectations related to the mission of the project and/or the role of the collaborators
Tell us about a time when you successfully collaborated on a project. What do you believe was the key ingredient to your success?
Today's Discussion Points
- Define Collaboration
- Why Collaborate
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Barriers and Momentum Killers