Partnership synergy framework

Description

Collaboration is a process where individuals view problems differently and work together to achieve solutions collectively as a group (Lasker, Weiss, & Miller, 2001). This is essential in public health since key partnerships can aid in the promotion of health and the prevention of disease. A high functioning partnership is synergistic; it involves the effectiveness of leadership, administration and management, the efficiency of the partnership, and the sufficiency of the partnership’s resources. Partnership is key in public health where multiple organizations work together to deliver complex population-based programming. Often, the effects of public health interventions are not seen within the population for many years. The success of these interventions relies on the commitment of many organizations and sectors.

The “Partnership Synergy Framework” (Lasker, et al., 2001; Lasker & Weiss, 2003; Weiss, Anderson, & Lasker, 2002) is a method developed for public health to combine individual-level clinical services with broader, population-based strategies. This method allows organizations to leverage their combined influence, resources, and connections. A synergistic partnership involves:

• recruiting a broad range of stakeholders to the group;
• motivating participants to work together by articulating common goals;
• empowering the group with a collaborative process to address problems; and
• encouraging group members to develop relationships with one another and engage in an ongoing discourse (Lasker & Weiss, 2003).

Promoting the availability of healthy foods in schools, making ingredients for healthy foods more affordable in local supermarkets, supporting physical activity education in school curriculum and developing safe environments for active play for children are tangible examples of how this framework can be used in public health (Lasker, et al., 2001).

Steps for Using Method/Tool

Application of the “Partnership Synergy Framework” involves consideration of two questions:

1) Is collaboration better than efforts by single agents in improving the capacity of communities to achieve health and health system goals?;

2) What can be done to realize the full advantage of collaboration?

Participants are asked to define features of partnership that contribute to achieving a collaborative advantage using the framework to support these discussions. Ideally, these questions are asked prior to developing a partnership with individuals, groups, and/or organizations. This method can be used to evaluate the partnership and utilize the “Partnership Self-Assessment Tool” (available on this Registry). This instrument is ideal for evaluating the current state of a partnership and communicating its degree of synergy.

Evaluation

This framework was evaluated in the National Study of Partnership Functioning which recruited 66 partnerships in 28 US states. The framework was tested in conjunction with the Partnership Self-Assessment Tool.