The theme of this year's Week of the Young Child encourages us to make the early years in young children's lives count. But what does this mean? Many organizations are learning that in times of limited resources and increased demands it is almost impossible to accomplish tasks using only their own resources, while collaboration offers possibilities for maximizing what they can accomplish. The trend toward collaboration is now common in efforts to support young children and their families. One reason is that nonprofit organizations and government agencies that have supported young children and their families in the past now face budget crises and pressures to produce results in short periods of time without any extra resources and possibly even with reduced or lost resources.

Despite the growing recognition of the benefits of working with others who serve the same or similar groups of people, problems sometimes arise when trying to collaborate with others. These problems often stem from a lack of understanding of what it means to collaborate with others and a lack of knowledge of how to collaborate effectively.

The purpose of this community spotlight is to provide you with information on the skills and resources necessary for creating efforts to support young children and families in your community. It is hoped that you will gain some of the knowledge needed to build effective collaborations in your community--collaborations that may be featured in future community spotlights.

What Is Collaboration?

In order to effectively collaborate, it is important to know what collaboration means. Community-based collaboration refers to the process by which citizens, agencies, organizations, and businesses make formal, sustained commitments to work together to accomplish a shared vision (Chandler Center for Community Leadership, n.d.). More simply, collaboration involves two or more agencies sharing information and resources to achieve common goals (Iowa State University Extension, 1992). The two key components of these definitions are sharing both information and resources as well as having a shared vision.

While some groups perform similar activities, these activities would not be considered a collaboration unless both of these criteria were included. For examples, organizations often share information, but they may not have a common goal (this sharing would be considered networking), or they form a partnership that works toward eliminating competition, but they do not share resources. According to the National Network for Collaboration (1995), the goal of collaboration is to bring individuals and members of communities, agencies, and organizations together in an atmosphere of support to systematically solve existing and emerging problems that could not easily be solved by one group alone.

Why Collaborate?

There have been nine trends identified in society that support the growth of community-based collaborations (Chandler Center for Community Leadership, n.d.). These trends are:

1. Shift to Community--As the decentralization of government continues, the community is taking on more responsibility for designing solutions to problems and issues.

2. Redefining Private and Public Roles--As the federal budget deficit continues to constrain government action on social problems, private sector firms are contracting to perform many traditional, government functions, which is blurring the boundaries that have traditionally defined the roles of the public and private sectors, as well as individual versus institutional responsibilities.

3. Policy Development--Both public and private sector policy support the merging of existing and new resources to focus on commonly defined issues.

4. New Issues--There are many new issues emerging that are affecting children and their families at a faster pace than previously experienced and often without any pre-existing solutions to the problems.

5. Citizen Participation--More people are actively interested in doing "their part for the community."

6. Quality of Life/Wellness--Quality of life issues, particularly the health of children and families, are emerging as key areas of public concern.

7. Fragmentation of Services--Although cooperation is replacing competition, there is still fragmentation, unproductive competition, lack of communication, and unplanned service delivery.

8. Focus on Root Causes--A clearer understanding of youth development and the factors that dramatically increase the successful growth to adulthood is evolving along with the recognition that the community is a vital part of each person's life.

9. Shared Decisions--Organizations are examining the efficiencies gained by addressing common issues or jointly delivering similar services as collaborations reduce duplication of cost and effort.

Advantages of Collaboration

Collaboration has been found to have immediate and long-term effects as well as direct and indirect effects (Iowa State University Extension, 1992). In other words, while some of the benefits may not be seen right away, it is possible that there will be some benefits that appear later. Some of the potential benefits from collaboration include:

1. effective and efficient program delivery;

2. improved professional development;

3. improved communication (which leads to more consistent and reliable information to clients, an increased use of programs, more public support, better understanding of policy and legislative issues, better direction given to clients, and improved evaluation of programs);

4. elimination of duplication;

5. increased use of programs;

6. improved public image;

7. better needs assessment;

8. consistency of information; and

9. increased availability of resources (new staff, new knowledge, new equipment and facilities, and new services).

Challenges to Collaboration

Despite these benefits, there are also many challenges and barriers that must be overcome when trying to collaborate with other groups. These include:

1. Turf Protection and Mistrust--Groups may not be receptive to new ideas or to sharing resources.

2. Decision-Making Processes--Groups need to determine how decisions will be made, by consensus, majority rule, or some other method.

3. Limited Resources--Groups may feel restricted within their collaboration because of limited funding and the inability to obtain new resources.

4. Dropping Out--Group members may feel compelled to resign from the collaboration if conflict over policy occurs.

5. Reduced Participation--Group members or organizations that are going through a crisis may reduce collaborative involvement.

6. Broad Representation--Groups should work to gain an appropriate cross-section of partners within the community that are interested in the issue.

7. Communication--Groups should maintain open and frequent communication so that all individuals and organizations feel included.

8. Solid Leadership--Groups that engage a facilitator or maintain strong leadership have a greater likelihood of success.

Common Characteristics of Successful Community-Based Collaborations

Despite these obstacles, many community-based collaborations have been successful. Characteristics of successful collaborations follow:

1. Partners have clearly and specifically defined outcomes and benchmarks.

2. Partners are committed to improving one or more conditions within the community for the long run.

3. Partners are willing to define their commitment and specific role.

4. Partners are willing to ask for information, resources, skills, and authority.

5. Partners support each other and acknowledge (give credit to) citizens and systems outside the group that support and help the collaboration.

6. Partners are open to and accepting of change and adjustment.

7. Partners acknowledge, understand, and share in risk taking.

8. Partners do not come to the table with preconceived notions of the "right way to solve a problem."

9. Partners monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the collaboration.

Conclusion

Collaborations will not be the ideal solution for every situation. Nevertheless, for some situations, collaborations can create a win-win situation for all involved. Community-based collaborations can lead to flexible working environments where authority is shared and all are involved in the process of improving outcomes for individuals, the service delivery, and the overall condition of the community.

Sources:

Chandler Center for Community Leadership. (n.d.). Community-based collaboration: Community wellness multiplied. [WWW document]. URL http://www.cyfernet.org/nnco/wellness.html

Iowa State University Extension. (1992). How to build coalitions. [WWW document]. URL http://www.nncc.org/ComDev/community.develop.html [Editor's Note: the URL for How to Build Coalitions has changed: http://www.nncc.org/ComDev/community.involv.html#anchor41800175 4-24-2000]

National Network for Collaboration. (1995). Collaboration framework--Addressing community capacity. [WWW document]. URL http://www.cyfernet.org/nnco/framework.html

Links and Related Resources:

Brahm, Barbara. (n.d.). Building coalitions: Mobilizing the community. [WWW document]. URL http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/bc-fact/0010.html

National Network for Collaboration
219 FLC, Box 5016
Fargo, ND 58105-5016
Telephone: 701-231-7259
Fax: 701-231-8568
E-mail: nncoinfo@extension.umn.edu
Web: http://www.cyfernet.org/