To evaluate the partnership for your chosen organization, you will conduct two (2) interviews. You will complete the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory with the partnership representatives during the interview.
Summarize and analyze the findings from the inventory and your interviews, incorporating material from the required course readings and your own research.
You will complete this assignment by assessing a partnership using the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory. You can choose a present/past field placement organization, place of employment or community group/association.
Summarize and analyze the findings from the inventory and your interviews, incorporating material from the required course readings and your own research.
Please use the following format to conduct your evaluation of a collaboration/partnership.
Collecting Data
Interview Guide: Use the following guide for your interviews, making adaptations as needed.
Begin by
Questions
Sample background questions include:
Sample questions based on collaboration factors include:
The Wilder Collaboration
Factors Inventory
What it does
• The inventory results are used to assess a group’s readiness to collaborate.
• This inventory has been tested with a variety of group
• It helps groups do a systemic, careful examination of where they stand on
the factors that influence collaborative success.
• It does not provide a single numerical index or score on the overall
potential of a group to succeed with a collaboration
• Rather, it provides information that groups can use as a starting point for
discussion.
• It can be applied any time before or during a collaborative initiative’s life.
• If a group is already functioning, it can be used to assess the group’s
strengths and areas of weakness
Wilder Inventory Instructions
1. Read each item
2. Circle the number that indicates how much you agree or disagree
with each item
3. Do not skip any items
4. Return your form as instructed by your facilitator
5. If you don’t know how to answer an item, or if you don’t have
an opinion, circle the neutral response (#3)
6. If your answer falls in between two numbers, pick the lower of the
two. Do not put a mark in between the two numbers and do not
circle both numbers. For example, if you feel your opinion is between
1 & 2, circle 1.
Interpreting your scores
• You are not looking for 1 overall score that tells you whether or not your
collaboration will be successful. These scores are not absolute. They do
not indicate certain success or sure failure. However, they can be used as
a guideline for discussion amongst members.
• For each factor:
• Average score of 4= strength, 3= borderline 2= area for concern
• An average score of 4 means that you probably don’t need attention in that
area
• An average of 3 means that you need to discuss as a group whether or not
this area needs attention
• An average of 2 means that this is an area that requires attention
Wilder Inventory- Scoring
1. There ae a total of 20 factors. Add together all the ratings for the
questions related to each factor
2. Divide the total number of ratings for each of those questions
3. These two steps yield an average score for each factor
Not all factors have the same number of questions. You will need to change the
divisor in step 2 to match the number of ratings for each factor i.e.
“Open and frequent communication” has 3 questions. If the rater chose 1, 2, 3
for each question respectively, adding each factor yields 6 (1+2+3=6). Divide
that number by the number of questions (6 /3=2). 2 is your average score for
that factor.
“Shared Vision” has 2 questions. If the rater chose 4 and 5 for each question
respectively, then you add 4+5=9. Divide 9/2= 4.5. 4.5 is your average score for
that factor.
What is a coalition?
• A coalition is a group of people different people representing
different communities (geographic/identify based) who come
together for a common cause.
What is a collaboration
• A collaboration is what a coalition does by entering into a well-defined
relationship to achieve common goals
• This relationship includes a commitment to mutual relationships and
strategies; a jointly developed structure and shared responsibility; mutual
authority and accountability for success; and sharing of resources and
rewards.
• A collaboration exists when several people pool their common interests,
assets and professional skills to promote broader interests for the
community’s benefit.
• Collaboration is not the same as cooperation or coordination
What is the difference between
Collaboration, Coordination &
Cooperation
All Material in the following slides are from Mattessich & Johnson: Collaboration:
What Makes it Work
Collaboration- Vision and relationships
• Collaboration- Commitment of the organizations and their leadership
is fully behind their representatives, new mission and goals are
created specifically for the collaboration and one or more projects are
taken for longer-term results
• Cooperation, the basis for cooperation is usually between individuals or
mandated by a 3rd party
• Coordination, individual relationships are supported by the organization, but
the organization lacks full commitment to the collaboration
Collaboration- Structure, Responsibilities and
Communication
• Collaboration-New organizational structure and/or clearly defined
and interrelated roles- with a formal division of labor
• Planning, developing strategies and measuring success in terms of the
impact on the needs of those served
• Many levels of communication are created as clear information is a
keystone of success
• Coordination- organizations involved take on needed roles, but function
relatively independent of each other, plan a little, but not a lot, channels of
communication are established for interaction. There is no separate
organizational structure.
• Cooperation- relationships are informal, each org functions separately, no
joint planning is required, information is conveyed as needed
Collaborations- Authority & Accountability
Collaboration
• Authority is determined by the collaboration to balance ownership by the
individual organizations involved in order to achieve purpose
• Leadership is dispersed, and [power] is shared and mutual
• Risk is shared by all
• Coordination- authority rests with individual organizations, but there is coordination
among participants, there is some shared leadership and power, there is some
shared risk, but most of the authority & accountability falls to the individual
organizations
• Cooperation- authority rests solely with individual organizations, leadership is
unilateral, and power is central, organizations act independently, all authority &
accountability rests with each individual organization
Collaboration- Resources & Rewards
Collaboration
• Resources are pooled or jointly secured and managed by the
collaborative structure [the coalition]; Organizations share the
products [outcomes]; more is accomplished jointly than could have
ever been accomplished individually
• Coordination- Resources and rewards are acknowledged and can be made
available to others for a project
• Cooperation- Resources (time, dollars and capacity) are separate, serving the
individual organization’s needs
The Wilder Collaboration
Factors Inventory
What it does
• The inventory results are used to assess a group’s readiness to collaborate.
• This inventory has been tested with a variety of groups
• It helps groups do a systemic, careful examination of where they stand on
the factors that influence collaborative success.
• It does not provide a single numerical index or score on the overall
potential of a group to succeed with a collaboration
• Rather, it provides information that groups can use as a starting point for
discussion.
• It can be applied any time before or during a collaborative initiative’s life.
• If a group is already functioning, it can be used to assess the group’s
strengths and areas of weakness
Wilder Inventory Instructions
1. Read each item
2. Circle the number that indicates how much you agree or disagree
with each item
3. Do not skip any items
4. Return your form as instructed by your facilitator
5. If you don’t know how to answer an item, or if you don’t have
an opinion, circle the neutral response (#3)
6. If your answer falls in between two numbers, pick the lower of the
two. Do not put a mark in between the two numbers and do not
circle both numbers. For example, if you feel your opinion is between
1 & 2, circle 1.
Interpreting your scores
• You are not looking for 1 overall score that tells you whether or not your
collaboration will be successful. These scores are not absolute. They do
not indicate certain success or sure failure. However, they can be used as
a guideline for discussion amongst members.
• For each factor:
• Average score of 4= strength, 3= borderline 2= area for concern
• An average score of 4 means that you probably don’t need attention in that
area
• An average of 3 means that you need to discuss as a group whether or not
this area needs attention
• An average of 2 means that this is an area that requires attention
Wilder Inventory- Scoring
1. There ae a total of 20 factors. Add together all the ratings for the
questions related to each factor
2. Divide the total number of ratings for each of those questions
3. These two steps yield an average score for each factor
Not all factors have the same number of questions. You will need to change the
divisor in step 2 to match the number of ratings for each factor i.e.
“Open and frequent communication” has 3 questions. If the rater chose 1, 2, 3
for each question respectively, adding each factor yields 6 (1+2+3=6). Divide
that number by the number of questions (6 /3=2). 2 is your average score for
that factor.
“Shared Vision” has 2 questions. If the rater chose 4 and 5 for each question
respectively, then you add 4+5=9. Divide 9/2= 4.5. 4.5 is your average score for
that factor.
Sample Results Template: You should have 4
columns and 20 rows (1 row for each factor)
Collaboration Factor
Rater 1
Rater 2
Total