The article Collective Impact outlines a specific, and currently very popular, model of cross sector collaboration focused on reorienting complex systems to produce different results. Drawing heavily from the work of the Strive cradle-to-career education initiative in Cincinnati and other collaborative initiatives around the country (e.g., Communities that Care, Elizabeth River Project), Kania and Kramer outline five conditions of collective impact: a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and a backbone support.
This article has been very influential and has contributed to the launch (and as some 2016 research indicates rebranding/reorienting) of a number of collective impact efforts since its publication.
Bonus: Collective Impact has spurred a whole series of articles in the Stanford Social Innovation Review and other publications, and the creation of the Collective Impact Forum, which hosts an online forum rich in resources and case studies as well as in-person programs. In 2016, the Collective Impact Forum and its field-building partners developed the Collective Impact Principles of Practice as a resource on how to successfully put collective impact into action.
