Leveraged Resources and Systems Changes in Community Collaboration

Abstract

Most models of community collaboration emphasize the ability of diverse partners to come together to enact systematic changes that improve the health of individuals and communities. The ability of these groups to leverage resources is thought to be an important marker of successful collaboration and eventual improvements in community health. However, there is a paucity of research addressing linkages between systems change activities and leveraged resources. This study used a sample of collaboratives (N = 157) that received technical assistance and funding through the Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) between 2006 and 2007. Data were collected from collaborative report of activities and funding, member ratings of collaborative functioning, and characteristics of the communities served by the collaboratives drawn from US Census data. Cross-lagged regression models tested longitudinal associations between systems change activities and leveraged dollars. The results indicated that systems change activities predict increased leveraging of resources from state/federal and private partners. However, there was no evidence that systems changes were linked with leveraging resources from local groups and agencies. These findings have important implications for providing technical assistance and training to health partnerships. Furthermore, future research should consider the relative strength of different systems change activities in relation to the ability of coalitions to leverage resources.

Reframing Coalitions as Systems Interventions: A Network Study Exploring the Contribution of a Youth Violence Prevention Coalition to Broader System Capacity

“…This research contributes to the community coalition literature through its conceptualization of community coalitions as interventions and events in local intervention systems (Hawe et al 2009). When viewed from this perspective, community coalitions are not only conceived as organizational structures formed for the purpose of meeting short term goals, but also as having the potential to contribute to greater systems capacity through building stronger social and inter-organizational networks (Allen et al 2013;Butterfoss and Kegler 2009;Cardazone et al 2014;Goodman et al 1998;Harper et al 2014Shapiro et al 2015. As this study demonstrates, community coalitions can benefit the broader intervention system by fostering collaboration and systems coordination, but if their members become too dominant and their power too concentrated, their activity risks inadvertently undermining the capacity of the broader network.…”

“…Neoliberal policies have created pressures (e.g., reduced funding) and opportunities (e.g., targeted funding incentives) for community-based organizations (CBOs) to work together at the local level (Hasenfeld and Garrow 2012). Increasingly, community researchers have adopted a systems perspective to better understand how inter-organizational collaborative networks can contribute to systems-level change (Allen et al 2013;Harper et al 2014;Tseng and Seidman 2007). In particular, complexity theory suggests that diverse efforts of organizations should be viewed as part of an ongoing system of intervention in which organizations are interdependent and connected by a shared purpose (Rogers et al 2013).…”

“…However, given the nature of wicked problems, it is not surprising that research demonstrating a direct link between coalition efforts and population-level outcomes has been rare (Butterfoss and Kegler 2009). Recognizing the non-linear nature of causal relations in complex systems, researchers have expanded their models to capture the potential ways in which coalitions may contribute to community change (Allen et al 2013;Harper et al 2014;Kegler et al 2010). Among the most comprehensive, Butterfoss and Kegler's (2009) Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) integrates findings from two decades of coalition research into a stage-based model.…”

“…Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) suggests that one important way coalitions contribute to systemlevel change is by building community capacity (Butterfoss and Kegler 2009). In particular, community coalitions create a context for organizations to develop relationships that go beyond the scope and time frame of coalition activity, potentially creating enduring effects on both the capacity of individual organizations and the system as a whole (Harper et al 2014;Shapiro et al 2015). Although the CCAT framework illustrates the theoretical link between coalition activity and increased system capacity, relatively little empirical work has studied community capacity (Butterfoss and Kegler 2009).…”

Identifying barriers, facilitators, and implementation strategies for a faith-based physical activity program

“…Local and national organizations that promote the well-being of community members like schools, parks and recreation departments, YMCA, Catholic Charities, and health departments may provide resources that would help churches implement and sustain health promotion programs. 78,79,80 Most participants reported little connection with outside organizations, but a had a desire to build those connections and viewed them as important for successful implementation and sustainment. This strategy would involve increasing the capacity of pastors to establish partnerships with outside organizations who could support the implementation and sustainment of PA programs.…”