January 9, 2003 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The Collaborative Leadership Handbook: a Guide for Citizens and Civic Leaders
by David C. Chrislip
Representatives of different nonprofit organizations and government institutions and citizens with differing religious or political beliefs frequently are reluctant to work together, even when their goals are similar, writes David C. Chrislip, a principal at Skillful Means, a leadership- and organizational-development consulting company in Boulder, Colo. Yet, he argues, the best solutions to societal problems are often reached through collaborations that draw on diverse knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. In his book, Mr. Chrislip offers suggestions for developing consensus-based strategies for projects such as determining new curriculums for schools, adopting new environmental policies, and building respect across racial, ethnic, gender, and class lines.
One of the first steps to a successful collaboration is to gather “stakeholders” who come from a range of backgrounds, including business, government, and philanthropic organizations, writes Mr. Chrislip. He also stresses that the group include both “content experts” who have significant experience and knowledge about the issue at hand, and “process experts” who are skilled at facilitating conversations.
Mr. Chrislip describes the collaborative practice in four stages ranging from “getting started” to “moving to action” and devotes a chapter to describing the activities that must be accomplished in each phase. For example, in the third phase, “working together,” the author describes the importance of creating a “shared vision” and lays out a step-by-step process for arriving at one.
The last section of the book is devoted to seven case studies of collaborative projects. One chapter describes how the Lundy Foundation, in Denver, gathered people from nonprofit, religious, academic, and government organizations to encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people to be more politically active. Together the Lundy-gathered group designed an intensive, three-year, leadership-development program. The program was so successful that participants decided to organize a similar educational program that would draw together representatives from the original group and people from organizations that could potentially become allies in advancing social justice for gay people and others. Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (415) 433-1740 or (800) 956-7739; fax (415) 433-0499 or (800) 605-2665; http://www.josseybass.com; 276 pages; $37; ISBN 0-7879-5719-4
