Capturing Collaborative Challenges: Designing Complexity-Sensitive Theories of Change for Cross-Sector Partnerships

Abstract

Systems change requires complex interventions. Cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) face the daunting task of addressing complex societal problems by aligning different backgrounds, values, ideas and resources. A major challenge for CSPs is how to link the type of partnership to the intervention needed to drive change. Intervention strategies are thereby increasingly based on Theories of Change (ToCs). Applying ToCs is often a donor requirement, but it also reflects the ambition of a partnership to enhance its transformative potential. The current use of ToCs in partnering efforts varies greatly. There is a tendency for a linear and relatively simple use of ToCs that does limited justice to the complexity of the problems partnerships aim to address. Since partnership dynamics are already complex and challenging themselves, confusion and disagreement over the appropriate application of ToCs is likely to hamper rather than enhance the transformative potential of partnerships. We develop a complexity alignment framework and a diagnostic tool that enables partnerships to better appreciate the complexity of the context in which they operate, allowing them to adjust their learning strategy. This paper applies recent insights into how to deal with complexity from both the evaluation and theory of change fields to studies investigating the transformative capacity of partnerships. This can (1) serve as a check to define the challenges of partnering projects and (2) can help delineate the societal sources and layers of complexity that cross-sector partnerships deal with such as failure, insufficient responsibility taking and collective action problems at four phases of partnering.

Multinational enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals: An institutional approach to corporate engagement

“…These involve systemic, collective action problems that require a greater emphasis on the creation of positive externalities and a focus on ''doing good'' (cf. van Tulder & Keen, 2018). Notwithstanding this finding, MNEs do indicate a willingness to engage in cross-sector partnerships: just 2% of the MNEs in our survey indicated ''not applicable'' when asked how they aim to contribute to SDG 17 (Partnerships).…”

“…As a result, the actionability of -and the responsibility for -their implementation varies across the targets. At the same time, some SDG targets are so complex that they can only be realised through collective action in which governments, companies, and civil society organisations work in partnership (van Tulder & Keen, 2018).…”

A Galactic Plane Defined by the Milky Way H ii Region Distribution

“…Solar height studies are summarized in Humphreys & Larsen (1995) and Karim & Mamajek (2017). Studies of stellar samples have a long history; perhaps the first such study was done by van Tulder (1942), who found an asymmetry in the stellar distribution that implied that the Sun is 14 ± 2 pc above the plane. Typical stellar studies examine discrepancies in the number of sources toward the north and south Galactic poles to determine the solar height (e.g., Humphreys & Larsen 1995).…”

Cross-Sector Partnerships for Systemic Change: Systematized Literature Review and Agenda for Further Research

“…While work is underway linking cross-sector partnerships to different types of impact (e.g. Clarke 2011;Clarke and OrdonezPonce 2017;MacDonald et al 2018;Van Tulder and Keen 2018;Van Tulder et al 2015), the question of how we can address the interactions between different levels of actors, systems, and actual change for the issue itself remains a key challenge for the future.…”

“…Dentoni, Bitzer and Schouten (2018) in their article, "Harnessing Wicked Problems in Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships", are also concerned with how change is effected in what they variously describe as "complex" or "wicked" problems. Like Van Tulder and Keen (2018), they are concerned with how to achieve "deep-level change" or "deeper processes of systemic change" in relation to wicked problems. In the article, they address cross-sector partnerships through the lens of "collaborative governance" (one of the search terms we used for our review), specifically in the context of multi-stakeholder initiatives designed to address complex problems.…”