Win-Win-Win Partnerships: Sustainability for Social Transformation

1. Win-Win-Win Partnerships:Sustainability for Social TransformationApril 21, 2006 Daniella Levine, JD, MSW Founder and Executive Director Human Services Coalition www.hscdade.org www.imaginemiami.org www.prosperitycampaign.org

2. Presentation Components • Why I Care • Prosperity Campaign & Imagine Miami: Incubator for Change • Collaboration 101 • Exercise: Evaluate Your Partnership • Appreciative Exercise: • Building Strong Partnerships • University-Community Partnerships • Strategies for Social Change • Transactions  Transformation

3. Why I Care… • Our democracy hangs in the balance • Our academic institutions play critical roles: • Allow us to keep America’s promise of opportunity for all, building bridges for diverse communities and individuals • Incubator for economic and social vitality • Shape and reflect America’s and community’s vision, values and strategies • Bring added value to communities increasingly squeezed for resources to address social need

4. Prosperity Campaign • Links low wage workers and families to economic benefits to build economic sustainability • Earned Income Tax Credit • Food Stamps • Medicaid and children’s health insurance • Affordable housing • Banking, credit repair, financial education • Education and workforce training

5. Human Services Coalition • Born 10 years ago: • Promote human worth and dignity • Promote effective, efficient, human health and human service • Focused on economic and social justice: • Building community prosperity • Building capacity of individuals, organizations and community to build a just society • Creating pipeline for innovation

6. Imagine Miami • Civic change initiative to “Build a Community and Economy that Work for All” • Move Miami from among poorest (#1 in 2000 census) to #1 in “community prosperity” • Addresses: economic prosperity, civic health/unity, environmental sustainability, opportunity • Sectoral and community-wide engagement • Builds on assets and hope • Creates pipeline for new kind of leadership

7. Chaordic Structures • Non-hierarchical • Multiple levels of ownership and creativity • Knowledge flows from and to all levels • Consistency of values, vision and brand • Seeks deep personal, cultural, systemic, and structural change

8. Collaboration 101

9. Definition of Collaboration #1 • Unnatural Act Among Consulting Adults • Mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations/groups/individuals to achieve common goals • Either/or • Both/and?

10. Trends in Collaboration • No longer the exception • Multi-discipline, multi-sector • Multi-sized organizations • New leadership roles • Funders playing different roles

11. Alliance Coalition Commission Team Consolidation Consortium Cooperation Joint effort Joint powers League Merger Network Task force Confederation Partnerships/CollaborationA Word By Any Other Name

12. Cooperation shorter-term, informal relationships shared information only separate goals, resources and structures The “Intensity” of Collaboration Collaboration • more durable and pervasive relationships • new structure with commitment to common goals • all partners contribute resources and share rewards & leadership Coordination • longer-term effort around a project or task • some planning and division of roles • some shared resources, rewards and risk Lower Intensity Higher Intensity

13. Exercise Identify partnerships that you are or have been involved in and place them using our intensity continuum.

14. Definition of Collaboration #2 Collaboration is a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations to achieve common goals. The relationship includes a commitment to: • shared goals • a jointly developed structure and shared responsibility • mutual authority and accountability for success • sharing of resources, risk, and reward

15. Why we collaborate • Mandates: from funder or employer) • Community impact: increase scale and reach; more accessible, effective services; build community capacity • Capacity: can’t do it alone (knowledge, resources, skill) • Mutual gains: clear and tangible wins for all, including efficiency, learning and fun! • Self-interest and need: survival, shrinking resources • To cope with change

16. Change--the only constant • Diverse, complex social fabric • Exponential growth of knowledge • Increased reliance on grants and donations • Measuring performance and impact • Rise in strategic alliances • Adaptation to technology-based world • Boundaries dissolving: reintegration • Blended Values

17. Collaboration Challenges • Time-consuming, over long periods • Process easily derailed by issues of competition, trust, mutuality • Complex layers of decision-making • Difficulties dividing benefits and responsibilities • Lack of skill, training and capacity to support collaboration

18. The Focus of Collaboration Development/ Advocacy Administration Service Delivery High • Centralized purchasing, benefits programs • Shared staff (bookkeeping, proposal writer) • Co-location • Asset management • Board/staff development • New funding streams • Packaged funding requests • Advocacy on policy issues, e.g., welfare reform, community violence, privatization • Media/marketing campaigns • Community forums • Region-wide service delivery system • Niche specialties shared through contracts • New program development • Coordinated I & R • Staff exchanges Degree of Involvement Low High Difficulty, Time, Impact

19. 1. Create a vision & strategic framework Organize the effort Implement the plan 4. Ensure continuity concept paper, strategic or business plan operating agreement or charter results sustainability Stages of a Collaborative Relationship

20. Collaborative Structures • Equal partners • Honor different roles and strengths • Fiscal agent or sponsor • Convener • Meeting facilitator • Work groups or task forces • Supporting network of partners

21. Mission/Purpose Values/Assumptions Vision Timeline, Milestones Membership Roles, responsibilities Policies Competition Guidelines Conflict of Interest Financial relationships Norms Participation Decision-making Communication Conflict Meetings Elements of Collaboration Charter

22. Keys to Success • Wilder Research Center reviewed and summarized existing research (2001) • Examined 281 studies on collaboration • Identified 6 key areas (20 factors) that influence the success of collaborations

23. Appropriate Process and Structure Leadership and Resources Effective Communication The Right Membership Supportive Environment Clear, Shared Purpose Success Factors

24. 20 FactorsInfluencing Successful Collaborations 1. History of collaboration or cooperation 2. Collaborative group seen as a leader in the community 3. Political/social climate favorable The Environment

25. Purpose 4. Concrete, attainable goals and objectives 5. Shared vision 6. Unique purpose

26. Membership • Mutual respect, understanding, and trust • Appropriate representation • Members see collaboration as in their self-interest 10. Ability to compromise

27. Process/Structure 11. Members share a stake in both process and outcomes 12. Multiple layers of decision making 13. Flexibility 14. Clear roles and policy guidelines 15. Adaptability 16. Appropriate pace of development

28. Communication 17. Open and frequent communication 18. Established informal and formal communication links Resources 19. Sufficient funds 20. Skilled convener

29. Assessment Tool Uses • Prior to forming a collaboration, use the tool to assess the readiness of your organization to participate in a collaboration • Once in a collaboration, use the tool to decide how you are doing as a group • Use the tool to begin discussion on tough issues

30. Exercise: Evaluate Your Partnership • Use the tool to think through your partnership success factors. What is likely to work and what may cause some problems?

31. Partnership Red Lights • A joint proposal without a common mission or strategy – divide the funding • Proposals that focus on process and not outcomes • Lack of board support for the collaboration • No plans or resources to build the structure and relationships over time • Funding one agency when effort is supported by several agencies • Fiscal agent/lead operates the program while the other collaborators watch

32. Current Thinking • Means to an end and not an end • Goal: greater results, scale, reach, efficiencies • Breakthrough results rather than small changes (e.g. scale, system’s change) • Forced marriages rarely work • Form follows function; only the structure needed • Few collaborations save money • Added costs: planning, coordination, staff time, promotion and communication

33. Concept: Appreciative Inquiry • Invented at Case Western Business School • Focuses on what works, rather than what does not • A positive approach to find solutions • Energy liberated for creativity and new ideas • Over focus on problems blocks solutions

34. Partnerships that Work:Appreciative Reflection • Remember a time when you were in a partnership that was effective, rewarding and mutually beneficial • What did that feel like? • What were the features that made that partnership successful? • What might you apply from that partnership to your current partnership to enhance it?

35. University-Community Partnership Challenges • University culture & bureaucracy • University incentives • University schedule • Unequal resources • Unequal rewards • Overwhelming community need • Community suspicion • Politics • Sustainability: More than a project?

36. Positive Practices • CLIMATE: • Recognize, celebrate, mentor, reflect • COLLABORATE: • Co-teach; formal agreements; clarify mutual expectations and benefits; joint proposal development; active advisory boards; plan evaluation at outset; build mutual trust & prepare for conflict • Share power, resources, control, credit; open & honest communication: TAKE TIME! • Volunteers vs. interns—prepare • Create resource guides, link websites, joint seminars, community access to university resources (e.g. library, gym), cut red tape

37. Positive Practices • CURRICULAR INTEGRATION: • Support faculty to integrate learning objectives; model syllabi; engage community in curricula design; alternative forums for reflection (brown bags, issue guides); clearly define purpose of community involvement; integrate interdisciplinary perspective; consider policy implications and advocacy.

38. Positive Practices • FACULTY DEVELOPMENT: • Appoint faculty coordinator and faculty mentors; nurture those with community interests; externships in community; orientation; promotion incentives; job descriptions • PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: • Integrative empowerment evaluation with stakeholder feedback and ownership; designated space; annual work plan; marketing plan; focus on quality over quantity.

39. Positive Practices • STUDENT PARTICIPATION: • Program ambassadors and assistants; facilitate reflection; advisory boards; present to university and community groups and boards; development of collaborative leadership skills • In class presentations; school and community recognition; student designed projects

40. Positive Practices • SUSTAINABILITY: • Incorporate into strategic framework; tie to recruitment, retention & workforce development; include in accreditation and other reports • Adequate staffing and high profile champions in school and community; mandatory community participation • Commitment to academic excellence • Demonstrate value and reciprocity with community CONTINOUSLY QUESTION REALITY!

41. SO WHAT? An end and a means… A laboratory for change & sustaining change…

42. Social Change:--Levels • Individual • Cultural • Organizational • Systemic • Structural

43. Social Change:--Individual • Resiliency: capacity to adapt to change • Attitude • Values • Culture • Behavior

44. Social Change:--Systemic and Structural PROCESS vs. PRODUCT CAPACITY BUILDING vs. RESULTS IMAGINATION vs. IMPACT • Consensus building • Direct action organizing • Policy advocacy • Charismatic leadership ALL NEEDED AT SOME POINT

45. Transaction vs. Transformation • OutputsOutcomesImpacts • How do we get there? Invest in building capacity… • Personal role (go back to individual change slide) • Institutional role • Community role • Societal role • Resilience, spiral dynamics, integral theory, authentic leadership

46. Thank you… Daniella Levine Human Services Coalition 260 NE 17th Terrace, Suite 200 Miami, Florida 33132 305 576 5001 x 19 daniellaL@hscdade.org