Are you interested in inter-organisational collaboration and cooperation?
The following resources may be of help!
Each numbered heading (below) is a link to a PDF download for that section.
1. Seven Principles for Collaboration: The Pit Park Approach. This is a straightforward and common-sense account based on the experience of Pit Park People's long-term Chairperson, Marise Clark. Marise sets out seven principles for good collaboration and illustrates each with a brief example. Find out what she's learnt while helping to turn a neighbourhood wasteland into a showcase for community-based restoration. 2 pages, 82 KB.
2. The Collective Impact Framework (Part A: Overview). How can you best address complex social issues? What if those issues require cooperation across multiple sectors, such as community, council, education, business, and more? One answer is provided by The Collective Impact Framework, an approach to multi-sector collaborations that involves developing:
- a common agenda,
- common progress measures,
- mutually reinforcing activities,
- continuous communications, and
- a backbone organisation.
In 2011, this approach was outlined in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and it has since caught on world-wide as an effective way to cooperatively make a difference. Would you like to learn more? This straightforward summary includes links to the original article and several websites of potential interest. 2 pages, 93 KB.
3. The Communities of Interest Approach. Do you want a tool to help you think systematically and inclusively about those who might have an interest in a project? This linked document is based on a presentation by Heike Schiele, whose doctoral research involved supporting participants in the Manawatū River Leaders' Accord. Heike's slides provide prompts for identifying communities of interest, who might be the general public or players central to the project, who might be strong supporters or likely opponents of the project. Heike offers tips for thinking about how to communicate and build relationships with each of the various communities who may have an impact on project outcomes. 2 pages, 3 figures, 197 KB.
4. The Collective Impact Framework (Part B: The Biodiversity Example). In February 2014, Environment Network Manawatū hosted a workshop on collaboration, with thanks to the Working Together More Fund for their support. The above documents (1-3) are all based on presentations made during the workshop. The workshop also had a strong discussion element, facilitated by Richard Thompson, who is well known locally as Chairperson of the Manawatū River Leaders' Accord. This discussion took "biodiversity" as a theme to focus participants' learning about the tools taught in the workshop. Read this discussion record to see how participants applied ideas from the Collective Impact Framework and also Communities of Interest Approach to brainstorm ways that the Manawatū River region might come together around biodiversity. While there are many gaps in what could be covered, the comments, questions, and concerns shared are worth thinking about to spark further work in the region's biodiversity space. 4 pages, 110 KB.
Do you know of resources that would help organisations in this region's environmental sector build their skills and capacity for cooperation and collaboration? Please send us any thoughts or links!
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