1. The Power of Collaboration Models of Collective Impact
MBS Symposium #2
24 October 2012

2. Harnessing the multiplier effect … through constructive collaboration, dialogue and exchange
Constructive collaboration, dialogue and exchange has a multiplier effect.
It can help disseminate good ideas and practices and drive innovation as organisations bring together their different perspectives, experiences, networks, knowledge and expertise. In doing that it can act as a mechanism for systemic change.
The Trust Company is keen to help the organisations that it supports to harness that multiplier effect by:
Helping them to clearly articulate their ‘theory of change’ and models of collaboration
Supporting collaboration, dialogue and exchange between organisations within its funding portfolio and
Helping funded organisations to engage with other organisations and stakeholders outside of that group.
The purpose of this session is to:
Explore the models or ‘theories of change’ that are being applied across the group and
Understand the role that collaboration currently plays in those models.

3. Proposed approach
Discuss the different models or ‘theories of change’ that are being used across the group to help improve the delivery of educational outcomes.
In doing that we will look at what is the same and what is different in terms of:
What you are each doing
The ‘change levers’ that you are looking to pull
The outcomes that you are trying to achieve and
The sorts of things that you need to measure to assess how you are going.
Review some basic principles about the different forms that collaboration can take and what makes it work.
Have a discussion about the ways that the group is already involved in (or could harness) collaborative activity to increase its collective impact.

4. Some frameworks for discussion …
Research
Program Design / Piloting
Program Delivery
Practice Dissemina-tion
Coalition Building & Advocacy*
Cross-Sectoral Coordination / Activity
Organisations can work at different points on the above spectrum to drive social change
* Not limited to political advocacy but includes activity to advocate for action on a cross-sectoral basis

5. Some frameworks for discussion …
Research
Program Design / Piloting
Program Delivery
Practice Dissemina-tion
Coalition Building & Advocacy*
Cross-Sectoral Coordination / Activity
Organisations can work at different points on the above spectrum to drive social change
Research
Research Dissemina-tion
Some organisations focus on research and dissemination to identify and share good practice
* Not limited to political advocacy but includes activity to advocate for action on a cross-sectoral basis

6. Some frameworks for discussion …
Research
Program Design / Piloting
Program Delivery
Dissemina-tion
Coalition Building & Advocacy*
Cross-Sectoral Coordination / Activity
Organisations can work at different points on the above spectrum to drive social change
Research
Research Dissemina-tion
Some organisations focus on research and dissemination to identify and share good practice
Program Design / Piloting
Program Delivery
Practice Dissemina-tion
Some focus on ‘coal face’ activities developing and delivering activities on the ground
* Not limited to political advocacy but includes activity to advocate for action on a cross-sectoral basis

7. Some frameworks for discussion …
Research
Program Design / Piloting
Program Delivery
Practice Dissemina-tion
Coalition Building & Advocacy*
Cross-Sectoral Coordination / Activity
Organisations can work at different points on the above spectrum to drive social change
Research
Research Dissemina-tion
Some organisations focus on research and dissemination to identify and share good practice
Program Design / Piloting
Program Delivery
Practice Dissemina-tion
Some focus on ‘coal face’ activities developing and delivering activities on the ground
Some focus on trying to change how service systems operate and interact
Program Delivery
Practice Dissemina-tion
Coalition Building & Advocacy*
Cross-Sectoral Engagement
* Not limited to political advocacy but includes activity to advocate for action on a cross-sectoral basis

8. Some frameworks for discussion …
Research
Program Design / Piloting
Program Delivery
Practice Dissemina-tion
Coalition Building & Advocacy*
Cross-Sectoral Coordination / Activity
The ‘change levers’ that organisations use and the outcomes that they seek to deliver vary across the spectrum
Build understanding of a specific area / issue -
Build awareness of good practice
Encourage adoption of good practice
Build coalitions for action
Support collaborative activity
Influence program and policy design
Implement specific programs
Deliver specific program related outcomes
Drive specific changes in practice
Drive specific changes in practice / policy
* Not limited to political advocacy but includes activity to advocate for action on a cross-sectoral basis

9. Some frameworks for discussion …
The way that organisations operate - and the extent to which they seek to collaborate with or influence the behaviour of others - can vary
Activity Focus
Program ‘Partners’
Program

10. Some frameworks for discussion …
The way that organisations operate - and the extent to which they seek to collaborate with or influence the behaviour of others - can vary
Sectoral Focus
Peer or Sector Engagement
Activity Focus
Program ‘Partners’
Program ‘Partners’
Program
Program

11. Some frameworks for discussion …
The way that organisations operate - and the extent to which they seek to collaborate with or influence the behaviour of others - can vary
Cross-Sectoral Focus
Cross-Sector Engagement
Sectoral Focus
Peer or Sector Engagement
Peer or Sector Engagement
Activity Focus
Program ‘Partners’
Program ‘Partners’
Program ‘Partners’
Program
Program
Program

12. Some frameworks for discussion …
The way that organisations operate - and the extent to which they seek to collaborate with or influence the behaviour of others - can vary
Cross-Sectoral Focus
Cross-Sector Engagement
Sectoral Focus
Peer or Sector Engagement
Peer or Sector Engagement
Activity Focus
Program ‘Partners’
Program ‘Partners’
Program ‘Partners’
Program
Program
Program

13. Some frameworks for discussion …
Collaborations can be:
Information sharing / networking / exchange based
Mixed
Activity based
Focused on a specific issue / action agenda
Focused on broader shared interests
Have informal coordination and governance structures
Have formal coordination and governance structures
Emergent
Facilitated
Prescribed

14. Discussion point
Where do each of your organisations ‘sit’ on the spectrum?
What sorts of collaborative activity are you involved in?
What types of outcomes are you trying to achieve?
What questions do you need to be asking to work out if you are achieving those outcomes?

15. Collaborations work best where they are based around strong common (or at least complementary) interests and objectives
Key Success Factors 
Alignment – Common or at least complementary interest in the underlying objective and the activity being undertaken 
Understanding – Understanding of individual organisation objectives and attributes and the impact that they have on the way that they will engage in the collaboration 
Coordination – Clear coordination framework and ‘rules of engagement’ that define how the collaboration will operate 
Resourcing – Adequate resourcing to support coordination and delivery of activity (so that there is both alignment of objectives and capacity to deliver against objectives) 
Role Clarity – Clear definition of roles and responsibilities 
Commitment – Clear commitment to roles and responsibilities 
Accountability – Clear accountability framework (process controls) to manage delivery against commitments 
Communication – Clear, open communication practices