Collective Impact Model Implementation: Promise and Reality

Abstract

This article helps public administration practitioners and policymakers leverage broad community-wide collaboration and promote program impact. We present outcomes from a coordinated community response to teen pregnancy that adopted collective impact (CI) methodologies. Lessons learned highlight barriers to creating and sustaining a common agenda, raising funding for collaboration infrastructure, and implementing a shared data system intended to strengthen collaboration among partnering agencies and assure accountability. Implementation of a CI approach proved time intensive and required committed leaders to work through power dynamics and foster communication, trust, understanding, and willingness to overcome technology and administrative challenges to shared data. Successfully navigating these barriers offers the opportunity to bridge research and practice, leading to actionable knowledge and positive community outcomes.