ACTIVATE
Common Agenda for Joint Action
A common agenda allows partners to agree to work together despite differences. By working together to co-deliver just one or two initial results, partners can build trust in action. This may encourage them to take on bigger partnering challenges in the future.
Successful partnerships tend to be those that are able to focus, and organise action, either around a single issue or theme, or a specific geography or place (or both). This section will give you access to tools that will help you to determine places to intervene in the system where change can be best leveraged, how to focus on issue-based and place-based action, how to pool resources, systems and data, and governance and accountability models that hold a partnership together.
The resources provided are divided into several key areas:
- Leverage Points – Places to Intervene in a System: Focuses on identifying strategic intervention points within a system for maximum impact, drawing from Meadows’ work and “Four Ways to Deal with Problematic Situations.”
- Building a Common Agenda for Joint Action: Provides guidance on collaboratively developing a common vision, goals, and strategies for joint action, emphasizing frameworks and tools for constructive dialogue and consensus-building among partners.
- Issue-based Action and Place-based Action: Explores strategies for balancing specific issue-based and broader place-based action within partnership initiatives.
- Joined-Up Resources, Systems, Data: Offers insights into coordinating resources, integrating systems, and sharing data effectively across diverse partners to maximize collective impact, with practical tools and case studies illustrating successful integration efforts.
- Governance and Accountability: Includes a customizable Partnering Agreement Template to establish roles, responsibilities, decision-making processes, and accountability frameworks, along with guidance on fostering transparency, resolving conflicts, and evaluating partnership performance.