How does Collective Impact make an impact?
Collective Impact projects are a relatively new approach to tackling complex social problems. The term was popularized by Kania and Kramer in 2011 to describe multi-stakeholder initiatives that adhere to five conditions, including a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone support organizations. Since then, a number of successful projects across the nation have adopted the Collective Impact model, including The Parramore Education & Innovation District. Being a relatively recent approach, there is much we are still learning about how collective impact projects make an impact.
Most collective impact initiatives, including PEID, develop a theory of change to help drive the work. A theory of change is a framework that lays out how, why, and under what conditions desired changes are expected to occur. Over time, as we gather new data and evidence to inform how we operate, our theory of change evolves and updates to better reflect our understanding of what actions lead to our anticipated goals.
For PEID, we are continuing to refine our theory of change, which hinges on an element of teamwork known as collective efficacy. Many people are familiar with the term self-efficacy, which refers to your beliefs about your ability to be successful at particular tasks. This concept was developed by psychologist Albert Bandura and is foundational to our understanding of motivation and learning. Extending the concept of self-efficacy to teams or collaboratives, collective efficacy is defined as, "a group's shared belief in its conjoint capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given levels of attainment" (Bandura, 1997, p. 477). Basically, Bandura and others have found that high collective efficacy beliefs can lead to improved academic outcomes in schools, decrease community violence, and are even tied to better athletic performance for team sports.
Members of the PEID network participate in various working committees, where they have the opportunity to propose and pilot new innovations for educational success. Part of our theory is that through these collaborative pilot projects, members not only learn directly through implementation, but also learn from the outcomes of other working groups. As they learn together, they also build trust and establish new patterns of working and communicating. These efforts, over time, develop collective efficacy and a willingness to leverage partnerships to accomplish shared goals.
At PEID, we are working to develop new ways to measure and understand the role of collective efficacy in collective impact projects.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.