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     KEYZINE: An e-zine for LEADERS:
   ABOUT THE PEOPLE PART OF BUSINESS
             Volume 91, October 2008
  Publisher: © Key Associates, 2008
              ISSN # 1545-8873
           http://www.mkkey.com/

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This Issue: On "Coalition Building"

Contents:

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole 
community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to 
do for it what I can. It is a sort of splendid torch which 
I have got hold of for the moment”
                              - George Bernard Shaw

"Community cannot long feed on itself, it can only 
flourish with the coming of others from beyond: 
their unknown and undiscovered sisters and brothers.”
                              - Howard Thurman

"If the people who make the decisions are the 
people who will also bear the consequences of 
those decisions, perhaps better decisions will result.”
                              - John Abrams

"Where people of goodwill get together and transcend 
their differences for the common good, peaceful and 
just solutions can be found for even those problems 
which seem most intractable.”
                             - Nelson Mandela 

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WHAT'S HOT IN LEADERSHIP
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SEEING YOUR SYSTEM AS A TOTALITY
OF INTERDEPENDENT PARTS, ALIGNED
FOR A COMMON AIM. 

COALESCING PLAYERS THROUGH COMMON 
PURPOSE AND VISION.

VIEWING CONFLICT AS EXPRESSION OF 
DIFFERENCES, THROUGH WHICH GREATER 
IDEAS ARE BORN.

SERVING AS CONVENER, NOT OVERLORD.

BOUNDARY-TENDING THE ORGANIZATION,
REACHING OUT TO SOLIDIFY COALITIONS.

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MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A LEADER
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Every business seeks strength through partnerships, 
building coalitions within and without.

A coalition is a collection of people in common pursuit.  
Building a coalition focuses on weaving relationships, 
caring about a common mission, and urging change 
as a united force.  

In this role, the leader becomes a master facilitator-- 
listening, communicating, building bridges.  Establishing 
the playbook.   Fostering the exchange of resources 
between the corporation and the community, there for 
the collective good.

 

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Why build coalitions ?

Coalition building is the joining of groups and their 
resources for the achievement of a common aim.  
Together they stand more powerful than any of them 
alone.  Their association enhances physical, technical 
and information resource exchange, as well as fostering 
contacts, connections and relationships.

Coalitions have the benefit of raising public profile, 
developing new leadership, eliminating duplication, 
increasing communication, and effecting social change.  
These groups thrive on fresh ideas and energy. synergy, 
and diverse perspectives, when melded together in 
consensus.

 

What is the proper order of events or first tasks in coalition 
building?

Key ingredients to building coalition partnerships:

* A convener
* Both leadership (shared) and followership
* A mission and shared vision
* Collective goal-setting
* A consensus-building process
* Trust-building activities
* Central coordination and communication
* Diverse membership recruitment, including key players and stakeholders
* Support: cash or in-kind

 

Is conflict inevitable?

Coalitions are often mentioned in the same breath 
as conflict or fighting.  If power is uneven, there will 
be conflict. When the groups fight among themselves, 
they are less able to advance their collective interests.  
Yet healthy differences are at the root of all constructive 
social change.

All members must learn to deal with their differences in a 
constructive way.  This includes ground rules, a method 
for dialogue, and strong facilitation.

See Volume 7, October 2001 - Mediating Conflict and 
Volume 40, July 2004 - Building Community.

 

You emphasize the role of a convener or facilitator.  What should 
we pay attention to?

The convener must excel in group dynamics, team-building, 
people skills, negotiation skills, and administrative skills.

The convener must work to ensure that the coalition members:

  • curtail the number of issues they will address over a given period of time
  • see more benefits than costs from their involvement
  • share the visibility/credit/power which comes from the coalition’s accomplishments
  • benefit from high quality communications, both within the group and to the outside 
  • do not publicly criticize the actions of another coalition member
  • do not compete among themselves--the issue should be a uniting factor

See the "Attributes of a Good Coordinator"
http://wch.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/PDF-Pubs/AttributesOfAGoodCoordinator.pdf

and the "Facilitator's Guide"
http://wch.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/PDF-Pubs/FacilitatorGuide-1.pdf



EXERCISES AND ACTION ITEMS:

* Check that all the diverse interests are represented in your coalition 
and that processes are offered to surface their ideas.

* Establish ground rules for the conduct of your meetings.

* Learn a consensus-building process or hire a facilitator who knows one. 
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EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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An informative essay on Coalition-Building
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/coalition_building/

A short guide to starting a coalition
http://www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/92-1.pdf

Another guide to coalition building
http://www.cypresscon.com/coalition.html

The 12 Cardinal Rules of building a successful coalition,
using homeless pets, as the organizer
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/coalitionbuilding.pdf

Key Associates offers Conflict Mediation 
training, facilitation, and consultation and Future 
Search Visioning Conferences: Call  1-888-655-3901 
or visit http://www.mkkey.com/.

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OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES 
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A toolbox on coalition building
http://ctb.ku.edu/tools//section_1057.htm

Worksheets and checklists for coalitions
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/hpkit/text/team_main.htm

The National Coalition Building Institute
http://ncbi.org/ and other coalition building links
http://wch.uhs.wisc.edu/01-Prevention/01-Prev-Coalition-links.html

Former Keyzines on related topics:
Volume 7, October 2001 - Mediating Conflict  
Volume 12, March 2002 - Facilitation
Volume 18, September 2002 - Organizational Culture
Volume 37, April 2004 - Dialogue: Thinking Together
Volume 40, July 2004 - Building Community
Volume 53, August 2005 - Relationship Building
Volume 60, March 2006 - The Power of Vision
Volume 62, May 2006 - Strength-based Organizations

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ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS                              
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 Abrams, John.  The Company We Keep: Reinventing 
Small Business for People, Community, And Place.  
 Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2005.

Berkowitz, Bill & Tom Wolff.  The Spirit of the Coalition.  
American Public Health Association, 1999.

Butterfoss, F. D., Goodman, R. M., & Wandersman, A.  
Community coalitions for prevention and health promotion. 
Health Education Research, 1993, 8(3), 315-330.

Foster-Fishman, P. G., Berkowitz, S. L., Lounsbury, 
D. W., Jacobson, S., & Allen, N. A.  Building collaborative 
capacity in community coalitions: A review and integrative 
framework. American Journal of Community Psychology, 
2001, 29(2), 241.

Kaye, Gillian & Tom Wolff.  From the Ground Up!  
A Workbook On Coalition Building & Community Development.
AHEC/Community Partners, 1997.

Roberts, Joan M.  Alliances, Coalitions and Partnerships: 
Building Collaborative Organizations.  New Society Publishers, 
2004.

Roussos, S. T., & Fawcett, S. B. A review of collaborative 
partnerships as a strategy for improving community health. 
Annual Review of Public Health, 2000, 21, 369-402.

Spangler, Brad. "Coalition Building." Beyond 
Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. 
Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, 
Boulder. Posted: June 2003. 
<http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/coalition_building/>.

Stith, S., Pruitt, I., Dees, J., Fronce, M., Green, N., Som, A., et al. 
Implementing community-based prevention programming: 
A review of the literature. Journal of Primary Prevention, 
2006, 27(6), 599-617.

Zakocs, R. C., & Edwards, E. M.  What explains community 
coalition effectiveness? A review of the literature. American 
Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2006, 30(4), 351-361.