The Nimble Collaboration

by Ray, Karen Louise

• ISBN13: 9780940069282
• ISBN10: 0940069288
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-01
• Publisher: Fieldstone Alliance

Summary

Let's face it, the collaboration process can be a pain in the neck. The Nimble Collaboration: Fine-Tuning Your Collaboration for Lasting Success, shows collaborations how to become leaner, more responsive, more flexible, and ultimately, more productive. In their bestselling book, Collaboration Handbook: Creating, Sustaining, and Enjoying the Journey, Michael Winer and Karen Ray describe how to form a successful collaboration. In The Nimble Collaboration, Ray guides existing partnerships into the next stage: becoming more effective. Part I presents the "three Rs" of nimble collaboration: results that are clearly defined, relationships that are deft, and a structure that is resilient. Readers will learn how to determine, describe, and evaluate the specific results everyone wants to achieve--and keep them at the heart of each step they take. The book shows readers how to build trust, reinforce roles, and avoid turf issues and hidden agendas. Part II walks through real-life applications in two typical collaborations: service integration collaborations, and complex problem-solving collaborations. Detailed case studies demonstrate nimbleness in action and give collaborations concrete problem-solving ideas. Throughout the book are samples, examples, and how-tos based on the author's many years of experience consulting with real people in real collaborations across the United States. A special section explains how to write the various documents that bind partners together on paper, including a memo of agreement and a formal governance agreement. Collaborations that involve government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, community-building groups, nonprofits, law enforcement, education, health, housing, arts, social services, business, foundation--you name it--will find hands-on help for making their collaboration satisfying and productive.

Table of Contents

About the Author	v
Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction: Collaborations Can Be Nimble	1	(1)
New Expectations Drive Collaboration	1	(2)
Four Stages in Starting a Collaboration	3	(1)
Enter the Nimble Collaboration	4	(1)
Nimble Collaboration Renews Institutions	5	(1)
Use Three Strategies to Become Nimble	6	(1)
Apply These Strategies to Two Types of Collaboration	7	(3)
Get the Most From This Book	10	(3)
PART I To Become Nimble, Focus on Results, Relationships, and Resilience	13	(63)
Focus on Results	15	(18)
Consider Your Premise	15	(3)
Consider Your Promise	18	(2)
State Your Mission	20	(2)
State Your Vision	22	(1)
State Your Desired Results as Outcomes	23	(1)
State Your Evaluation Criteria	23	(2)
Create Your Work Plan	25	(7)
Chapter Summary	32	(1)
Shape Relationships	33	(22)
Build Trust	33	(1)
Reveal Your Self-Interest	34	(4)
Invite All Orgainzations That Can Contribute	38	(1)
Define Core Organizations	39	(2)
Clarify Roles	41	(10)
Plan to Communicate Key Information	51	(1)
Chapter Summary	52	(3)
Structure for Resilience	55	(21)
Consider Ten Principles of Resilience	56	(2)
Refine Your Process for Making Decisions	58	(6)
Share Financial Information	64	(5)
Create a Nimble Governance System	69	(5)
Chapter Summary	74	(2)
Actions for the Nimble Collaboration	76	(3)
PART II Applying Nimble Strategies to Real-Life Collaborations	79	(28)
Collaborate to Integrate Services	81	(16)
Know When You're Really Working on Service Integration	84	(1)
Recognize Three Points of Service Integration	85	(11)
Chapter Summary	96	(1)
Collaborate to Resolve Complex Issues	97	(10)
Use These Emerging Best Practices	98	(8)
Chapter Summary	106	(1)
Conclusion: The Power of Collaboration	107	(2)
Appendix A: Sample Forms	109	(10)
Program Financial Information	111	(2)
Write a Memo of Agreement for Your Collaboration	113	(2)
Draft a Formal Governance Agreement	115	(4)
Appendix B: Resources	119