Measuring Collaboration

Yes, it’s true what the outcome fanatics say:  Everything IS measurable including the quality of your collaboration.

There are a lot of ways to assess how well a collaborative effort is progressing.  The two favorite measures are 1) the representativeness of the collaborative membership and 2) meeting attendance.  Of course these are valuable but, honestly, they just scratch the surface.

I’ve been using a survey instrument called “Working Together: A Profile of Collaboration” that was published in How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference, D. Chrislip and C. Larson (1994).  The survey includes questions in five key areas:

• Context
• Structure
• Members
• Process
• Results

I recently administered an online survey to members of the Waukesha County Drug Free Communities Coalition to assess the quality of their collaborative effort.   The results are being used to help the Collaborative plan its 3rd year of operation. 

Here’s a quick PowerPoint that presents the findings from the Waukesha DFC Collaboration Survey.  Waukesha Collaboration Report 

Note: Tessera Design is responsible for the great graphics on the PowerPoint.