COLLABORATION MATH

Collaboration Math is a tool intended to help organizations from diverse disciplines work together. It enables them to better understand each other's perspectives and to identify the strengths and gaps in their partnership. This tool is designed to eliminate misconceptions, clarify the benefits of collaboration, suggest what needs to be better understood or studied, and identify key players that may be missing.

Each group in a collaborative provides key information about its organization according to a common set of categories. Specific categories vary based on the particular collaboration; however, typical examples include:

Definition of problem	What language does each organization use to define the issue?
Key Issues	What are each organization's priorities relating to the issue?
Data	What information does each organization collect, and how does it collect it?
Funding	What funding sources and other resources does each organization bring?
Training	What expertise can each organization share with other participants? Who does each organization typically train?
Partners	With what other types of groups is each organization connected?
Solutions/Outcomes	What specific objectives has each organization set in relation to the issue?

Once the information is compiled, a facilitator can help the groups compute the "math." For example, entries in the Data column can be "added" -- in other words, collaboration greatly increases the amount of information available to each of the participants. Entries in the Definition column are "averaged" -- for diverse groups to work together, a common way of defining and speaking about the issue needs to be agreed upon. Training "multiplies" the capacity of the individual groups and of the coalition -- by sharing expertise and methodologies, participants strengthen their ability to achieve success. And by "dividing" up the responsibility for the overall work, the efforts required of each group are diminished. This "math" typically plays out as conversation and analysis during which groups discuss how they can make best use of their diverse backgrounds and resources.

Example: Youth Violence Coalition One coalition on youth violence prevention included members from public health and law enforcement. By combining their data, these two groups realized that the full picture of youth violence and victimization was much different than their individual records indicated. Health professionals using CDC data on hospital admissions believed that teen violence was almost entirely a problem among teenage boys. However, many girls who are sexually assaulted do not to seek medical care, or do seek care, but do not identify the cause of their medical needs as sexual assault-related. Hospital admissions records fail to account for these incidents of sexual assault. By adding data from law enforcement, health professionals came away with a more complete understanding of the problem. On the other hand, police don't generally keep data on suicide attempts (a leading category of youth violence). In this case, hospital admissions records captured information that law enforcement would have missed.

The benefits of collaboration grow exponentially as more groups are added and more categories explored. Following is part of a sample Collaboration Math matrix.

Sample -- Expected levels of detail would be greater

Group	Definition of the problem	Data	Training	Solutions / Outcomes
Public Health	Violence is a community health problem	Morbidity and mortality rates Hospital admissions E.R. Data	Identifying at-risk communities and individuals	Primary prevention Community participation
Justice/Law Enforcement	Violence is a community safety issue	Crimes reported Convictions 911 calls	Victim counseling, dispute mediation	Community policing Containment Suppression
School District	Violence is a disciplinary problem	Incidence of violent behavior in schools Truancy rates	Classroom management Conflict resolution	Conflict resolution Parental involvement
Math	Average	Sum	Product	Product
Implications	Build a more complete picture: For example, ADD the data column -- Police data may fail to include suicide attempts, noted in hospital records. Schools and police may collect sexual assault statistics that health officials only get if the victim is hospitalized. Create a common language: AVERAGE diverse perspectives Reinforce the benefits of collaboration: Assets are ADDED and MULTIPLIED. Responsibilities are DIVIDED among member groups. Design a comprehensive strategy: Take advantage of interdisciplinary membership and pool approaches.

Example: Youth Violence Prevention Coalition

The above groups come from very different backgrounds, but it should be noted that the Collaboration Math tool could also be used to facilitate collaboration between similar organizations, such as multiple school districts, or agencies within a public health department.

Collaboration Math has been piloted successfully across the country to facilitate the early stages of collaborative work. However, because it pools and clarifies the diverse perspectives of coalition members, Collaboration Math also lays the foundations for comprehensive strategy development. In that sense, the Collaboration Math tool is designed to complement and inform Prevention Institute's Spectrum of Prevention, a tool that promotes multifaceted activities as the best practice for effective prevention. By working through Collaboration Math, participants will see the fruits of their efforts grow exponentially.

We are continually trying to improve our tools and we welcome your feedback regarding their use and effectiveness.

© Prevention Institute 2002

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