Collaboration Toolkit: 
How to Build, Fix, and Sustain 
Productive Partnerships 


by: 

Tammy A. Rinehart 
Anna T. Laszlo 
Gwen O. Briscoe, Ph.D. 


This publication is not copyrighted; it may be reproduced in whole or in part without 
permission. However, in accordance with accepted publishing standards, the COPS 
Office and the authors request that proper acknowledgment accompany any such use. 

Suggested Citation 

Rinehart, Tammy A., Laszlo, Anna T., and Briscoe, Gwen O. Collaboration Toolkit: 
How to Build, Fix, and Sustain Productive Partnerships. Washington, DC: U.S. 
Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2001. 


This publication was made possible through cooperative 
funding agreements 98-CK-WX-0058 and 2001-CK-WXK061 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of 
Community Oriented Policing Services. Opinions, findings 
and recommendations are those of the authors and do not 
necessarily reflect the U.S. Department of Justice official 
policy or positions. 


Circle Solutions, Inc. is a woman- and employee owned 
management consulting firm committed to providing 
services and products in support of healthier, safer people 
and communities. 

Circle Solutions, Inc. 
2070 Chain Bridge Road 
Suite 450 
Vienna, VA 22182 
www.circlesolutions.com 


We have numerous people to thank for 
their help and guidance on the many iterations of 
the Collaboration Toolkit. First, we offer special 
thanks to Tamara Clark, the Federal project 
officer, and Sandra Webb, Ph.D., who guided the 
effort, actively brainstormed with us on all phases 
of the effort, and who were particularly 
supportive of new ideas, as well as patient 
through the challenging periods. Andrew Dorr, 
Mary Hyland, Nancy Leach, Daniel Lucas, 
Wayne McCall, Toni Morgan-Wheeler, Megan 
Murphy, Joel Sackett, Amy Schapiro, Robert 
Schmude, Rita Varano, and Amanda Watts offered 
helpful suggestions and direction during 
numerous reviews of the document. Throughout 
the COPS Office, staff have supported 
development of the toolkitnot only by funding 
the cooperative agreement, but also by motivating 
us with their enthusiasm for the product. In 
particular, we acknowledge the leadership and 
assistance offered by Ellen Scrivner, Ph.D., 
Deputy Director for Community Policing 
Development, and Beverly Alford, Assistant 
Director for Training and Technical Assistance. 

We are indebted to the four external reviewers. 
Their practical perspective on the usefulness of 
this toolkit to the field, and their suggestions 
helped improve the product. Their affirmation of 
the Collaboration Toolkits utility is priceless. In 
that vein, we thank Robert Lisa, Hoboken (NJ) 
Police Department; Eric Lofchie, Youth and 
Family Services, Windsor (CA) Police 
Department; Deputy Janae Saunders, Yamhill 
County (OR) Sheriffs Office; and Deputy Larry 
Unrein, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office. 

Acknowledgments 

We also appreciate the assistance of various 
Circle Solutions, Inc. staff. Michelle Newton 
researched sources for the Learn More About It 
sections of the toolkit. Anthony Lewis provided 
the artwork for the cover. Cathie ODonnell and 
Jo-Ann Melton provided editorial support. Lindi 
Copeland designed the layout for the artwork 
and text; she also coordinated production of the 
toolkit. Laurie Jones-Robey prepared the 
electronic version of the toolkit for distribution 
over the Internet. Kristina Huallpa provided 
expertise in contracts management. 

Through the combined contribution of these 
individuals, we offer the Collaboration Toolkit to 
the field. As the authors of this product, we are 
grateful for their involvement in creating this 
toolkit. 

Tammy A. Rinehart 
Anna T. Laszlo 
Gwen O. Briscoe, Ph.D. 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Contents at a Glance 


Introduction 
Using this Guide 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

Why Collaborate? 
What is Collaboration? 
When to Collaborate? 


Learn More About It 

Diagnosing the Collaboration 
Tool 1: Unsticking Stuck Groups/ 
Reassessing the Collaboration 

Section 2: Stakeholders 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 
Tool 2: Identifying Stakeholders 


Section 3: Trust 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 
Tool 3: Developing Team Norms 
Tool 4: Global Vote Exercise 


Section 4: Shared Vision and 
Common Goals 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 


Tool 5: Sample Invitation to a Meeting to 
Develop a Shared Vision 
Tool 6: Sample form for Soliciting 
Feedback from Stakeholders 
Unable to Participate in the 
Visioning Meeting 

Section 5: Expertise 

The Vision 

Action Steps to Success 

Facilitators Dos and Donts 

Tips for Meeting Leaders 

Tips on How to Save a Meeting 

Avoiding the Pitfalls 

Tool 7: Expertise and ResourcesWhat 
Does the Collaborative Effort Need 
Tool 8: Expertise and Resource Inventory 
Tool 9: Guidelines for Brainstorming 
Tool 10: Brainstorming Activities 
Learn More About It: Facilitation 

Section 6: Teamwork Strategies 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 
Tool 11: Lets String Along 
Learn More About It: Leadership Skills 

ii 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Section 7: Open Communication 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 
Tool 12: Tips for Conflict Management 
Learn More About It: Negotiating 

Strategies 

Section 8: Motivated Partners 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 
Tool 13: Memorandum of Understanding 

Development Guidelines 
Tool 14: Sample Icebreaker/Team Building 
Activity: The Human Spider Web 
Tool 15: Sample Icebreaker/Inspiring 
Creativity and Problem Solving 

Section 9: Sufficient Means 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Sharing Leadership 
Encouraging Diversity 
Engaging Youth 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 
Tool 16: Identifying Funding Resources 

and Options 
Learn More About It: Youth and 
Collaboration 

Section 10: Action Plan 

The Vision 
Action Steps to Success 
Avoiding the Pitfalls 
Tool 17: Evaluation Tips 

A Successful Partnership: 
Tackling Youth Disorder in 
Danvers, Massachusetts 

Collaboration Toolkit iii 


iv Collaboration Toolkit 


Throughout 1998, the Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services (COPS Office) and Circle 
Solutions, Inc. sponsored a two-phased training series 
for police officers and their school partners on 
collaborative problem solving. As part of the 
assessment of the efficacy of the School-Based 
Partnerships (SBP) Training Project, workshop 
participants were asked to describe their challenges in 
implementing their problem-solving efforts. 
According to law enforcement and school personnel 
who attended the COPS SBP training sessions, 
working in collaboration with partners is presenting 
the greatest challenge to implementing collaborative 
problem solving and other community policing 
initiatives. This toolkit was inspired by that feedback 
and is designed to help law enforcement and their 
partners successfully build and sustain effective 
community policing partnerships. 

Law enforcement alone cannot 
implement and advance community policing. 
Law enforcement benefits when community 
partnerships are formed to implement 
community policingthese partnerships 
increase the amount of information available to 
law enforcement, reduce duplication of efforts, 
improve the comprehensiveness of approaches 
to community and school-based problems, and 
create public recognition of community 
policing efforts. 

The Collaboration Toolkit is designed as a 
guide for law enforcement agencies and their 
partners as they develop, fix, and sustain 
productive law enforcement/community 
partnerships supporting the advancement of 
community policing. The toolkit can assist law 
enforcement personnel working with citizen 
groups, community-based organizations, school 
personnel, youth, government officials, and 
others to implement and advance community 
policing in schools and communities. The 
toolkits broad scope will facilitate use by 
COPS Office grantees and other law 
enforcement agencies and their partners as well 
as allow the concepts to be tailored to specific 
local partnership issues. The toolkit will not 
define all aspects of community policing nor 
serve as a how-to guide for problem solving; 
rather, this toolkit should be used to enhance 
collaborative efforts to implement community 
policing and work on problem-solving 
initiatives. 

Introduction 

If the strongest horse in the team would go 
ahead, he cannot, if all the rest hold back. 
Abraham Lincoln 

Collaboration is not always easy to achieve. 
Although the components and concepts of a 
successful collaboration may appear basic, 
implementing these concepts is often very 
challengingas COPS Office grantees have 
noted during training and technical assistance 
workshops. This toolkit identifies nine 
components of a successful collaboration: 1.) 
stakeholders with a vested interested in the 
issue, 2.) trust among and between the partners, 
3.) a shared vision and common goals, 4.) 
expertise among partners to solve community 
problems, 5.) teamwork strategies, 6.) open 
communication, 7.) motivated partners, 8.) 
sufficient means to implement and sustain the 
collaborative effort, and 9.) an action plan. As 
the collaboration develops and matures, 
partners should continually revisit each 
component to assess the status of the 
collaboration and determine what actions are 
needed to enhance the collaboration. 

Not all law enforcement relationships must be 
collaborative, nor should they all strive to be 
so. Relationships operate along a continuum, 
and the appropriate working relationship may 
vary depending on the issue at hand. However, 
when law enforcement agencies implement a 
problem-solving project, organize 
neighborhood watch programs, develop school 
resource officer programs, or initiate other 
similar community policing initiatives, 
collaboration is critical. 

Collaboration Toolkit 


As the most comprehensive and intensive type of 
working relationship, collaboration requires 
commitment from a number of individuals and 
agencies to work together as a team and 
contribute resources to reach a common, long-
term goal. This toolkit will help those who are 
committed to developing, improving, and/or 
sustaining successful collaborations to advance 
community policing. 

Using This Guide 

Reading the entire toolkit will be helpful to those 
working in the formative stages of collaboration 
building. Mature collaborations can refer to one 
or several topic areas to address specific 
challenges, assess the efficacy of various aspects 
of the partnership, and/or implement some new 
ideas. 

All users will benefit from reading Collaboration 
Fundamentals and using the diagnostic 
worksheet found in Diagnosing the 
Collaboration. Section 1, Tool: Unsticking Stuck 
Groups/Reassessing the Collaboration, may help 
determine which collaboration component to 
read about first. 

For each of the nine essential collaboration 
components, this toolkit describes: 

The Vision: What would the component look 
like in the best of all worlds? 

Action Steps to Success: What 
do the partners need to do to 
build, fix, and sustain the 
component? 


Avoiding the Pitfalls: What 
barriers can partners expect to 
encounter? What are the warning 
signs of these barriers? What are 
some suggestions for addressing 
challenges when they occur? 

Tools to Plan and Chart Your 
Progress: Worksheets and 
exercises to help collaborative 
partners achieve the vision. 
You may progress through the toolkit sequentially, 
or you may select a particular component about 
which you need more information or assistance and 
concentrate on that discussion first. Several 
components include Learn More About It sections 
with sources for additional information. 

This will be a very important addition to any 
partnership or collaboration. You have created a 
toolkit that will help many community partnerships. 
Eric Lofchie 
Windsor Youth and Family Services 
Town of Windsor Police Department, CA 
I feel first-timers as well as novice collaborators 
could benefit from this toolkit. 
Deputy Janae Sanders 
Community Policing/Public Liaison Officer 
Yamhill County Sheriffs Office, OR 
It looks like you put together a great guide on how 
to succeed with a collaboration, and how not to fall 
victim to the pitfalls that normally accompany these 
types of partnerships. 
Lieutenant Robert Lisa 
Training, Planning, and Operations 
City of Hoboken Police Department, NJ 
. 
. 
vi Collaboration Toolkit 


Collaboration Fundamentals 

In Section 1 

Why Collaborate? 

What is Collaboration? 
When to Collaborate? 
Diagnosing the 
Collaboration 

Tool 1: Unsticking Stuck 
Groups/Reassessing the 
Collaboration 



Collaboration Fundamentals 


Why Collaborate? 

Perhaps the most convincing arguments for 
developing law enforcement/community 
partnerships are seen in the benefits attained by 
agencies that have implemented these 
partnerships. For example, effective community 
policing collaborations can provide the 
following six results: 

1. 
Accomplish what individuals alone 
cannot. 
2. 
Prevent duplication of individual or 
organizational efforts. 
3. 
Enhance the power of advocacy and 
resource development for the initiative. 
4. 
Create more public recognition and 
visibility for the community policing 
initiative. 
5. 
Provide a more systematic, 
comprehensive approach to 
addressing community or school-
based crime and disorder problems. 
6. 
Provide more opportunities for new 
community policing projects. 


We must all hang together, or 
assuredly we shall all hang 
separately. 

Benjamin Franklin 

1. Accomplish what individuals 
alone cannot. 

Through collaboration, the Keene (NH) Police 
Department, Keene State College, and the 
New Hampshire State Liquor Commission 
Enforcement Office reduced repeat calls for 
service to off-campus residences for underage 
drinking by 5070 percent. 

The Keene Police Department had received 
many complaints of noise and vandalism by 
tenants of multifamily dwellings located 
adjacent to Keene State College. Data 
collection and analysis revealed that the 
problems were related to underage drinking 
that occurred primarily at large parties with as 
many as 250 people, in student-rented, off-
campus residences. Both the school and the 
police department had an interest and duty to 
curtail these activities; they realized that in 
order to address the problem, they would have 
to collaborate with various agencies in the 
community. Together, they instituted five 
primary responses to the problem. 

 The college has incorporated 
information about the consequences of 
underage drinking into a revised student 
orientation. 

Collaboration Toolkit 1 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

 
The New Hampshire State Liquor 
Commission Enforcement Office 
monitored stores known for selling 
alcohol to minors and actively sought 
information on these stores. 
 
The Keene police liaison officer to the 
college adjusted his schedule to increase 
officer presence in the target area during 
peak times. 
 
When a drinking party is held by a 
nonowner resident, police work with the 
city assessment office to identify the 
property owner and advise him/her of 
the underage drinking occurring on the 
property, and recommend that s/he learn 
the liabilities of criminal behavior 
occurring on the property. 
 
Police officers made numerous arrests in 
the parking lots of nightclubs in 
accordance with a law that states the 
club owners are responsible for activity 
in their parking areas. 


Taken together, these activities led to a 
significant reduction in calls for services for 
underage drinking that none of the individual 
agencies could have accomplished 
independently. 

2. Prevent duplication of 
individual or organizational 
efforts. 

A collaboration between John Jay College of 
Criminal Justice, the New York City Police 
Department (NYPD), the Citizens Committee 
for New York City (CCNYC), and the Bureau 
of Municipal Police (BMP) allowed these four 
organizations to delineate their specific areas of 
expertise, combine talents, and utilize limited 
financial resources. This collaboration allowed 
the agencies to: 1.) provide basic community 
policing and problem-solving training to 
citizen groups and law enforcement officers, 
2.) implement a cultural diversity education 
initiative, 3.) provide statewide training and 
technical assistance services to communities 
across New York State, and 4.) conduct an 
evaluation of the collaborative services. This 
collaboration helped eliminate duplication of 
effort among the different agencies. 

Before becoming a part of the partnership, 
CCNYC provided a wide range of educational 
and community organization services to 
support neighborhood residents efforts to 
reduce crime and improve their quality of life. 
Simultaneously, the NYPD implemented a 
number of innovative community policing 
strategies to empower police officers to solve 
neighborhood crime and disorder problems, 
hold police supervisors accountable for crime 
reduction in their neighborhoods, and educate 
citizens about their roles as collaborative 
problem-solvers with the NYPD. In 1998, John 
Jay College, in cooperation with the BMP, 
conceptualized a regionally based initiative to 
provide community policing training to law 
enforcement agencies and citizen groups in 
New York State. At the same time, NYPD 
sought funds to design and implement a 
cultural diversity training effort to enhance 
NYPD officers understanding of the varied 
immigrant cultures within the city. The 
potential for duplicative organizational efforts 
was clear. However, the collaboration among 
John Jay College, NYPD, the CCNYC, and the 
BMP allowed these four organizations to 
optimize their resources towards a common 
vision and prevent duplication of efforts. 

2 

Collaboration Toolkit 


3. Enhance the power of 
advocacy and resource 
development for the initiative. 

An unanticipated, long-term benefit of the 
Clearwater Homeless Intervention Project 
(CHIP)a collaboration between the 
Clearwater (FL) Police Department (CPD), the 
Clearwater Housing Authority, and other city 
agencieshas been increased public awareness 
of the needs of the homeless population and 
increased funding for the CHIP shelter. Other 
benefits include development of educational 
and volunteer programs operated by CHIP 
(e.g., GED and literacy classes, Alcoholics 
Anonymous meetings, and job placement 
assistance) and increased charitable 
contributions of clothing and household items 
from Clearwater businesses and individuals to 
the citys homeless population. 

Before this success, Clearwater had been 
struggling to provide adequate services to the 
citys homeless men, women, and families. 
Social service agencies were denying medical, 
mental health, and other services to individuals 
who could not document their identity. 
Additionally, homeless shelters were located a 
considerable distance from the beaches and 
downtown areas, where homeless persons often 
congregate. Consequently, the CPD 
experienced a significant number of calls for 
service to move homeless individuals. In an 
effort to reduce calls for service and provide 
access to social services for the homeless, the 
CPD collaborated with the citys housing 
authority and city agencies that could provide 
services to the homeless population. The CPD, 
in partnership with the housing authority, 
purchased a vacant building in downtown 
Clearwater and converted the building into a 
CPD substation and homeless shelter. At the 

Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

shelter, homeless persons are issued 
identification cards, so they can access city 
social services. CHIP has reduced calls for 
service for vagrancy, harassment, solicitation, 
and public intoxication in the downtown and 
beach areas; provided an in-city residence for 
homeless men, women, and families; 
facilitated the ability of homeless individuals 
to seek and receive social services; and 
increased public awareness of homelessness. 

4. Create more public 
recognition and visibility for 
the community policing 
initiative. 

The Martinsburg (WV) Police Department 
was experiencing an alarming number of 
domestic violence incident calls for service. In 
fact, from 19901995, the department received 
nearly seven times more calls of this nature 
than any other city of comparable population 
in West Virginia. In order to decrease the 
number of incidents, key organizations 
collaborated to form the Domestic Violence 
Police Group (DVPG). This group included 
representatives from the county prosecutors 
office and courts, public defenders office, 
emergency medical services, central dispatch 
for the city and county, the city hospital, social 
and other health services, the religious 
community, legal aid, the local batterers 
intervention program, the school system, 
private research organizations, victims of 
domestic abuse, a private law firm, media, and 
the West Virginia House of Delegates. The 
team met each month to build the partnership 
and identify and address problems with the 
systems that respond to domestic violence 
(e.g., courts, police, hospitals, etc.). Responses 
to these problems have included police 

Collaboration Toolkit 3 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

training initiatives; police and victim advocate 
follow-up programs; a workplace domestic 
violence education campaign; and ongoing 
coordination meetings of the systems 
components. 

Key to public recognition and visibility of this 
project was the fact that the breadth of the 
collaboration led the media to cover several 
collaboration activities. Because the efforts of 
the DVPG caught the media spotlight; 
domestic violence issues now have a weekly 
forum in the Journal newspaper. Additionally, 
through their communitywide partnership, the 
Martinsburg Police Department and its 
partners raised awareness of domestic 
violence, and also coordinated services for 
victims and domestic violence prevention and 
identification efforts. Because of the media 
spotlight and the involvement of community 
organizations, domestic violence victim and 
batterer intervention programs were kept in the 
forefront of public interest. Keeping this issue 
in the news also helped showcase the benefits 
of partnering and community collaboration to 
reduce crime. 

5. Provide a more systematic, 
comprehensive approach to 
addressing community or 
school-based crime and 
disorder problems. 

Due to a multifaceted, comprehensive response 
implemented by a communitywide partnership, 
police calls for service in a Portales (NM) 
problem park decreased from 30 to 2 percent 
of all police calls. The park is now one of the 
most frequently used parks in the city. 

The Portales Police Department identified a 
large number of calls for service to respond to 
assaults across the city. Public perception was 
that these assaults were taking place in the 
schools, parks, and ball fields. Furthermore, at 
a Little League meeting, a decision was made 
to avoid using a particular ball field due to a 
perception that the park in which it was located 
was not safe. Residents near the park that was 
abandoned by Little League reported that the 
park had a cruising problem, which led to 
increased traffic, noise, and possible drug 
dealing. Of equal importance, the residents 
perceived that the police department was not 
responding to their complaints. After extensive 
data collection efforts (including surveying 
nearly 1,600 residents, surveying real estate 
companies regarding property values near the 
park, undertaking a traffic study, meeting 
weekly with the sanitation department about 
the types of refuse left on the weekends, 
conducting focus groups with partner 
organizations constituents, gathering 
information via police surveillance, talking 
with offenders, and analyzing police calls), the 
Portales Police Department and its partners 
developed a holistic response. 

As a part of its response, the police department 
formed its first community-oriented policing 
unit to operate in the vicinity of the park. The 
officers became highly visible in the park, and 
also initiated bike patrols in the area and 
handed out business cards. The community 
policing unit and the Community Service 
Center, a local, nonprofit partner agency, began 
organizing activities in the park for 
neighborhood residents on Sunday afternoons; 
events have included social gatherings such as 
a Cinco de Mayo celebration. One program 
serves children lunch in the park during a 

4 

Collaboration Toolkit 


school break and includes an educational 
program conducted by a police officer. 
Additionally, the partnership installed lights in 
the park and put into place a temporary barrier 
during identified peak cruising times, to 
prohibit cruisers from circling the park. 
Furthermore, in an effort to decrease the 
perception that police were not responding to 
calls for service, a new procedure for response 
requires the initial contact to be made with the 
complainant. In addition, to complete the call, 
contact must again be made with the 
complainant. These responses led residents to 
begin taking ownership of the park, which led 
to dramatic increases in park use for legitimate 
purposes, as well as a decline in police calls for 
service to the park. 

6. Provide more opportunities for 
new community policing 
projects. 

In Vallejo (CA), neighborhoods are jumping on 
board neighborhood revitalization efforts being 
led by the Vallejo Police Department, in 
partnership with the citys code enforcement 
officials; the fire department; and the Fighting 
Back Partnership (FBP), a community grass 
roots organization. 

Public outcry at community meetings notified 
the Vallejo Police Department of quality of life 
issues. The target area received a high 
concentration of calls for police service, and 
neighborhood surveys indicated that quality of 
life issues were a priority problem within the 
community. Residents complained about loud 
noise, domestic violence, public drinking, loud 
parties, and other disorders. City officials also 
viewed these problems as priorities. 

Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

As the coalition first began its efforts to 
address these issues, residents wanted the 
police to solve the problems, and did not want 
to get involved. However, residents gradually 
began to take responsibility for developing 
initiatives to help curtail unsavory activity. 
Specific efforts included police patrol and 
intervention, identification of noncompliant 
properties by code enforcement and the fire 
department, and working with owners of 
noncompliant properties regarding options and 
resources for resolution. Other efforts included 
block meetings led by FBP; removal of 
abandoned vehicles; parking and traffic 
enforcement by the police department; block 
meetings and tenant/owner meetings led by 
FBP to assess progress, address new problems, 
and organize clean-up days; and a 
neighborhood crime prevention program. After 
the success of the initial target area, at least 
eight more neighborhoods have participated in 
the revitalization efforts. In Vallejo, crime rates 
have been reduced by 17 percent as a result of 
these community revitalization efforts. 

What Is Collaboration? 

Collaboration occurs when a number of 
agencies and individuals make a 
commitment to work together and 
contribute resources to obtain a common, 
long-term goal. For example, to implement 
community policing, law enforcement 
personnel may collaborate with businesses to 
maintain order in the business district. Law 
enforcement may collaborate with schools to 
establish and maintain school resource officer 
programs and develop and implement safe 
school plans; or, law enforcement may 
collaborate with youth, residents, and 

Collaboration Toolkit 5 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

neighborhood watch groups to use 
problem-solving to address ongoing 
community concerns. Collaboration is the 
most intense type of working relationship, 
and the one that is most frequently required 
when implementing community policing. 
Building and sustaining an effective 
community policing collaboration requires 
much more than a decision to merely work 
together. Effective collaborations promote 
team building, a sense of ownership, 
enthusiasm, and an environment that 
maximizes the chance of collaborative 
partnerships succeeding. 

The components of an effective 

collaboration are: 

 
Stakeholders with a vested interest in 
the collaboration 
 
Trusting relationships among and 
between the partners 
 
A shared vision and common goals 
for the collaboration 
 
Expertise 
 
Teamwork strategies 
 
Open communication 
 
Motivated partners 
 
Means to implement and sustain the 
collaborative effort 
 
An action plan 


By having these nine elements in place, the 
collaboration can avoid the disorder, 
apprehension, fragmentation, disorganization, 
slow pace, discouragement, and unfocused 
achievements that can affect many problem-
solving and other community policing 
partnerships. 

The process of building and sustaining 
collaboration is ongoing and circular in nature. 
The process begins with developing a shared 
vision and ends with developing, 
implementing, and assessing the action plan. 
However, throughout the life of the 
collaborative effort, the partnership will attract 
new expertise, decide on additional motivators, 
and identify and access new means and 
resources. Trust is the core of the relationship, 
with each of the other components acting as 
essential elements of the whole. Trust is the 
hub, with stakeholders, shared vision, 
expertise, teamwork strategies, open 
communication, motivated partners, means, 
and an action plan serving as spokes of the 
wheel. If any one of the pieces is weak or 
broken, the wheel will not roll properly and the 
collaboration will not progress. Thus, partners 
must continually reassess the collaboration 
and, if necessary, determine what actions 
should be taken to strengthen one or a number 
of these components. Routinely examining 
whats working and whats not working is 
essential to building, motivating, and 
sustaining a collaboration that can achieve 
results. 

Collaboration Toolkit

6 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

Partnership 
When to Collaborate? 

The rule of thumb is that law enforcement 
agencies or personnel should engage in 
collaboration with other organizations or 
individuals when stakeholders have a 
common, long-term goal; are committed to 
working together as a team; and cannot 
achieve the goal more efficiently as 
independent entities. Not all law enforcement 
relationships must be collaborative, nor should 
they strive to be. Under some circumstances, 
it may be appropriate for law enforcement 
personnel just to establish a good communication plan. Under other circumstances, 
cooperation between two individuals may be 
sufficient. Perhaps coordination between two 
agencies to avoid duplication of effort is all 
that is required. Collaboration is, however, 
critical for many community policing 
endeavors. The example that follows outlines 
how two individuals, representing 
organizations with similar interests, may 
progress from a relationship of communication 
to cooperation to coordination, and culminate 
with the development of a collaboration. 

Collaboration Toolkit 7 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

Example 1 

communication/networking 

Sheriff Smith meets Principal Gibson at a community 
meeting. Principal Gibson shares with Sheriff Smith 
that over the past several weeks some students have 
complained that in the student parking lot at 
Dogwood High School, trash has been dumped into 
the backs of pickup trucks, key marks have been 
scratched onto several cars, and textbooks and 
backpacks have been stolen from unlocked vehicles. 
Sheriff Smith shares with Principal Gibson that 
similar problems have been occurring in the 
neighborhood adjacent to Dogwood High School and 
in the parking lot of a pizza place one block away. 

cooperation 

Sheriff Smith asks Principal Gibson to call the 
department when another incident occurs so that a 
deputy can capture the incident in a report and take a 
look at the scene for any evidence of who committed 
the offense. Principal Gibson agrees to call. 

coordination 

To avoid duplication of efforts, Principal Gibson and 
Sheriff Smith also agree that a copy of the county 
incident report will be supplied to the school so that 
it may be kept in the schools incident recordsin 
lieu of filing a second report with the same 
information. If a deputy cannot come to the school 
immediately, Principal Gibson offers to capture the 
necessary information and obtain a statement and 
contact information from the witness or victim that 
reported the problem. He will then fax the 
information to the dispatcher. Sheriff Smith offers his 
appreciation. 

collaboration forming 

Several weeks later, after reviewing several incident 
reports from Dogwood High School involving 
vandalism and theft in the student parking lot, Sheriff 
Smith calls Principal Gibson to suggest that their 
organizations initiate a problem-solving project to 
address the ongoing pattern of vandalism and theft in 
the student parking lot and the surrounding area. 
Sheriff Smith and Principal Gibson assign Deputy 
Morgan and Coach Lee as the primary partners in the 
effort. Principal Gibson offers a classroom as a 

meeting facility, and Sheriff Smith assures Principal 
Gibson that his crime analysis division will provide 
data analysis support. 

successful law enforcement/ 
community partnership in action 

Throughout the next 6 months, Deputy Morgan and 
Coach Lee bring other stakeholders into the 
partnership (e.g., the pizza shop manager, local block 
watch president, student victims, Project SAVE club 
members, school janitor, and a social science teacher 
who agreed to write a report on the project and 
conduct an evaluation). They met to talk about the 
purpose of their partnership and the types of tasks 
(e.g., interviews with student and neighborhood 
victims, environmental analysis, review of police/ 
school incident reports, mapping the location of the 
incidents, interviews with suspects, review of the 
student parking lot access and policies, review of 
school activity schedules, response development, 
fundraising, and evaluation of the responses) and 
resources required for the problem-solving effort to 
succeed. They wrote their vision, tasks, timeline, and 
resource needs down in an action plan, ensuring that 
every partner received a copy. The partners met every 
2 weeks (sometimes at school, sometimes at the pizza 
place, and a few times at a local park a few blocks 
from school) to exchange information, report on 
progress, determine whether other partners or 
stakeholders should be added, and to celebrate 
milestones achieved (e.g., interviews completed, 
fundraising success, responses implemented). At the 
end of 6 months, the partners had implemented 
responses that resulted in a number of positive 
changes. For instance, there was a reduction of theft 
from vehicles in the school parking lot and 
neighborhood, better foot and vehicle traffic flow 
through the parking lot, and increased trash removal 
leading to improved appearance. In addition, a team of 
individuals who learned the value of teamwork were 
acknowledged in the school and the local paper, and 
were also awarded honors by the sheriff and principal 
for their efforts. The partners have decided to continue 
working together on other problem-solving projects in 
and around the school. 

Collaboration Toolkit

8 


A conscious decision should be made as to 
whether communication, coordination, 
cooperation, or collaboration will achieve the 
desired result of the working relationship. In 
this example, the working relationship at 
each level of the interaction was appropriate. 
Only upon learning that the vandalism and 
theft problem in the high school student 
parking lot involved multiple similar 
incidents did the sheriff and principal 
advance the working relationship to one of 
collaboration. Both parties had an interest in 
and would benefit from addressing the long-
term problem, and both were ideologically 
committed (and had the resources to commit 
to doing so). Building a collaboration takes 
time and intention. Learning to work in a 
collaborative partnership is a powerful tool to 
use today and an investment in collective 
action in the future. 

Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

Learn More About It 

Chrislip, D. D. and Larson, C. E. 

Collaborative Leadership: How Citizens 
and Civic Leaders Can Make a 
Difference. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Bass, 1994. 

This book is a useful resource for civic leaders, 
public administrators, managers, and elected 
officials. The discussion is focused on 
collaboration between elected officials and 
other civic leaders in order to empower the 
public to deal with challenges that face 
communities. The book outlines the 
collaborative process. Available for purchase at: 
www.josseybass.com. 

Kayser, T. A., Mining Group Gold: How 
to Cash in on the Collaborative Brain 
Power of a Group. 2nd edition, El 
Segundo, CA: Irwin Professional 
Publishing, 1995. 

This excellent resource for those interested in 
leadership and collaboration provides useful 
insight into team building and collaborative 
work sessions. Five steps for conducting 
successful group meetings and suggestions for 
dealing with emotions that may emerge during 
group sessions are provided. Available for 
purchase at: www.amazon.com. 

OConnell, B. Powered by Coalition: 
The Story of Independent Sector. San 
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1997. 

This comprehensive report discusses how 
diverse groups within the independent sector 
engaged in collaboration. It also discusses the 
collaborative dynamic and benefits of 
collaboration. Available for purchase at: 
www.josseybass.com. 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

Diagnosing the Collaboration 


Sometimes well intentioned law 
enforcement/community teams initiate a 
collaborative project, but dont quite achieve 
collaboration. In some cases, the problem is 
the lack of a real understanding of what 
collaboration is, let alone how to achieve it. 
The confusion is easy to understand. While 
collaboration entails communication, 
coordination, and cooperation, achieving any 
one of those outcomes alone will not 
produce a partnership. Communication, 
coordination, cooperation, and collaboration 
accomplish different goals and require 
different levels of resources (human and 
financial), trust, skills, and time. On the 
continuum of working relationships, 
collaboration is the most comprehensive. 
While requiring a good communication plan, 
cooperation between individuals, and 
coordinated efforts of partner agencies, 
collaboration is more pervasive than these 
other working relationships, and therefore 
requires a more concentrated effort to 
achieve and sustain it. 

Collaborations, not unlike other working 
relationships, inevitably experience very 
productive as well as very frustrating times. 
While collaborative endeavors can generate 

The significant problems we 
face cannot be solved at the 
same level of thinking we were 
at when we created them. 

Albert Einstein 

results that the individuals and organizations 
that make up the collaboration could not even 
hope to achieve on their own, the strength of a 
partnership comes from hard work and from 
continually applying the principles of 
collaboration. Thus, partners should not view 
reassessment of the status of the collaboration 
as an indicator of failure. Rather, the 
willingness of the partners to continually 
enhance teamwork strategies, expand 
expertise, improve communication, involve 
new partners, sustain trust, seek additional 
resources, and diagnose how well the 
collaboration is working will strengthen the 
collaboration and help ensure its success. 
Babe Ruth said, Every strike brings me 
closer to the next home run. Each learning 
experience in the evolution of a collaboration 
can strengthen it. This section provides a 
starting place for assessing various aspects of 
the collaboration to help the partners 
determine which areas to strengthen or learn 
more about. This is also a good place to begin 
if the partnership has encountered stumbling 
blocks and the partners are trying to learn 
what caused them. 

Collaboration Toolkit 11 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 


Remember... 

 
Without stakeholder involvement power), there will be fragmented 
there is no chance for action. Secretary of State Colin 
collaborative problem-solving or Powell has been quoted as saying, 
other community policing The best method for overcoming 
initiatives. obstacles is the team method. 
 
Without trust there will be  Without open communication, there 
hesitancy to work together as a will be disorganized and uninformed 
team. People will hold back and partners. Information must be freely 
be reluctant to share talents, time, and regularly shared for a team to 
and resources. function collaboratively. 


 
Without a shared vision, there  Without motivators, there will be 


will be disorder. A shared vision slow progress toward the goal. 
brings focus to the team. A lack Motivators prevent apathy, keep the 
of agreed-upon focus allows partners interested, and sustain 
team members to pursue involvement. 
conflicting agendas. 


 Without sufficient means, there will 

 
Without expertise, there will be be discouraged team members. If the 
apprehension. It is frustrating to project is larger than the resources 
know what should be done but available, it is easy for partners to fall 
not to have the talent within the into a whats the use? frame of 
team to accomplish the goal. mind. 


 
Without teamwork (i.e., joint  Without an action plan, there will be 
decision making, joint a lack of focus. An action plan is 
responsibility, and shared necessary to guide the team and 


serves as a means of accountability. 

When a group has stakeholder involvement, 
trust, a shared vision, expertise, teamwork, 
open communication, motivation, sufficient 
means, and a plan of action, collaborative 
change will take place. 

12 Collaboration Toolkit 


Tool 1 
Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

Tool 1 

Unsticking Stuck Groups/ 
Reassessing the Collaboration 

This diagnostic tool is designed to help 
collaborations identify what is missing or 
getting in the way of working effectively 
and successfully to reach community 
policing goals. This worksheet can be used 
to identify collaboration components that 
could be strengthened. 

Directions: 

Make copies of the questionnaire that 
follows for each member of the team. Have 
each member of the team respond 
individually to the questions. The team 
leader should not share information on the 
scoring interpretation with the team until 
responses have been tallied. Collect 
completed questionnaires and tally the 
responses. Note: This should be done in 
front of the team. You may replicate the 
tally sheet on a blackboard or a sheet of 
flipchart paper. 

Tallying the Answers: 

1. 
Number 136 down the side of a 
page of flipchart paper or chalkboard. 
2. 
Draw a line across the page between: 
4 and 5 
20 and 21 
8 and 9 
24 and 25 
12 and 13 
28 and 29 
16 and 17 32 and 33 


3. 
Put an X by the number for each 
NO response. 


Interpretation: 

The questions are divided into nine areas. 

 
Questions 14 pertain to stakeholder 
involvement. 
 
Questions 58 pertain to trust within the 
team. 
 
Questions 912 address shared vision. 
 
Questions 1316 consider the expertise 
within the team to achieve the goals. 
 
Questions 1720 address issues of 
teamwork, as defined as joint decision 
making, joint responsibility, and sharing 
power. 
 
Questions 2124 look at open 
communication among the partners. 
 
Questions 2528 address motivating the 
team to keep it energized. 
 
Questions 2932 consider availability of 
sufficient means to do the work of the 
team. 
 
Questions 3336 pertain to whether the 
team has designed a plan of action to guide 
their work. 


If the NO responses are clustered in one of 
these areas, this indicates that the team needs to 
work on that particular area. It is suggested that 
you read the material in that section of this 
toolkit. 

If the NO answers are scattered throughout the 
nine areas, discuss with the team what might be 
wrong and together decide a plan of action for 
working through the issues one at a time. 

Collaboration Toolkit 13 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 

Discussion: 

Discuss the findings with the team. Some 
questions that might be asked to guide a 
discussion are: 

 
What do you see from the response tally? 
 
What caught your attention? 
 
Was anything surprising? 
 
What seemed really on target and confirms 
your experience? 
 
Where does this information lead us? 
 
What is the next step? 


14 Collaboration Toolkit 


Too 


Unsticking Stuck Groups/Reassessing the Collaboration 
Where and Why Are We Stuck? ... What Areas Can be Strengthened? 
A Questionnaire for Partners 
Yes / No 1. Are all partners affected by the problem addressed by the project? 
Yes / No 2. Is there a strong core of committed partners? 
Yes / No 3. Is the team open to reaching out to include new people? 
Yes / No 4. Are there ways for meaningful involvement from all interested partners? 
Yes / No 5. Have team norms been developed? 
Yes / No 6. Do partners demonstrate a willingness to share resources? 
Yes / No 7. Is time provided for partners to get to know each other? 
Yes / No 8. Have relationships deepened as a result of the partners working together? 
Yes / No 9. Are all team members clear about the purpose of the team? 
Yes / No 10. Do you trust team members to move beyond personal agendas? 
Yes / No 11. When new people join the team, is it easy to explain what the team is about? 
Yes / No 12. Do all team members agree on the purpose of the team? 
Yes / No 13. Are meetings well run and organized? 
Yes / No 14. Do you know what skills other team members have? 
Yes / No 15. Do you know what skills/expertise the collaboration needs to achieve its goals? 
Yes / No 16. If you have a task that requires expertise unavailable within the team, do you 
know where to access that expertise so implementation of the plan can 
continue? 
Yes / No 17. Do people volunteer freely to work on projects? 
Yes / No 18. Do team members share responsibility for completing tasks? 
Yes / No 19. Is it clear and agreed upon within the team how decisions are made? 
Yes / No 20. Do leadership responsibilities shift with a shift in tasks? 
Yes / No 21. Do all people feel free to speak at meetings? 
Yes / No 22. Are decisions and information communicated to all members in a planned 
fashion? 

Collaboration Toolkit 15 


Section 1: Collaboration Fundamentals 


Yes / No 23. Is there a regular time to give feedback to the project leadership? 
Yes / No 24. Do you feel that your opinions are heard and respected? 
Yes / No 25. Is it fun and satisfying working with this team? 
Yes / No 26. Does the team make steady progress in working toward the goal? 
Yes / No 27. Do people want to join and stay with the project? 
Yes / No 28. Are youth attracted to working with the team? 
Yes / No 29. Are there enough people involved in the project to do the tasks in a realistic 
timeframe? 
Yes / No 30. Do you have the financial resources to do what the team wants? 
Yes / No 31. Do members of the team share leadership responsibilities? 
Yes / No 32. Are youth involved as full partners in the problem-solving process? 
Yes / No 33. Is it clear what strategies you are working on? 
Yes / No 34. Are team members clear about their assigned tasks? 
Yes / No 35. Do team members carry through on what they say they will do? 
Yes / No 36. Does the team seem to stay on track in addressing the issue? 

16 Collaboration Toolkit 


Stakeholders 


In Section 2 

Tool 2: Identifying 
Stakeholders 

The Vision 

Each person and organization (including the 
law enforcement agency) that is affected by, or 
can make an impact on the issue, brings skills 
and resources to the collaboration in 
anticipation of jointly working together. 



Action Steps to 
Success 
At the beginning of the problem-solving 
project or other community policing initiative, 
there may be only two individuals (often 
assigned to the effort) that are working 
together. Thus, one of their first tasks is to 
examine the issue/problem to be addressed by 
the project and identify as many individuals 
and/or organizations as possible that may have 
a vested interest in the outcome of the 
problem-solving effort. Remember, not 
knowing whether an individual or organization 
can/should be a stakeholder is just an 
opportunity to contact that individual or 
organization and learn more about their 
potential interest in being involved. The 
primary partners should take the following 
steps to identify the collaborations 
stakeholders: 

Step 1 
Is Someone Else Already 
Working on This Issue? 

Before initiating a new collaboration, gather 
preliminary information about the issue or 
problem to be addressed to ensure that it 

Stakeholders 

You don't get harmony when 
everybody sings the same note. 

Doug Floyd 

warrants a collaborative effort. Also, scan the 
community to determine whether an existing 
collaboration is already in place to address the 
problem. If you determine that a collaborative 
effort is indeed warranted, then begin the 
process of identifying and engaging the 
collaborations stakeholders. 

Step 2 
Cast the Stakeholder 
Net BroadlyThink 
Beyond Traditional Law 
Enforcement Partners. 

When identifying potential stakeholders, 
consider the following six questions: 

1. 
Who cares if the problem is solved/ 
issue is addressed? 
2. 
Who is being impacted by the 
problem or issue? 
3. 
Who can help solve the problem or 
address the issue? 
4. 
Who brings knowledge or skills about 
the issue? 
5. 
Who will benefit if the problem is 
solved or the issue is addressed? 
6. 
Who would bring a diverse viewpoint 
to the collaboration? 


Collaboration Toolkit 


Section 2: Stakeholders 

Potential stakeholders may include: 

 
School administrators and other school 
personnel 
 
School board members 
 
Business leaders 
 
Elected officials 
 
Neighborhood watch/block clubs 
 
Youth organizations 
 
Community-based organizations 
 
Community activists 
 
Probation/parole/pretrial services 
 
District Attorney/State Attorney General 
 
Trade organizations 
 
Faith community 
 
Social service organizations 
 
Federal law enforcement (FBI, DEA, 
ATF, INS, etc.) 
 
Corrections 
 
Media 
 
Private foundations or other charitable 
organizations. 


Remember, depending on the specifics of the 
problem or issue, the list of stakeholders will 
vary. Refer to Section 9, Sufficient Means, for 
a discussion about encouraging diversity and 
engaging youth (step 10). 

Step 3 
Identify the Benefits of 
Participating in the 
Collaboration. 

Stakeholders benefit, on a number of levels, by 
joining the collaboration. When recruiting 
stakeholders, it may be helpful to point out 
some of these benefits, which include: 

 
A sense of accomplishment from 
bettering the community. 
 
Gaining recognition and respect. 
 
Meeting other community members. 
 
Learning new skills. 
 
Fulfilling an obligation to contribute 
(due to professional status, etc.). 


Example 2 Identifying Stakeholders 

In a school-based partnership to address a bullying problem, stakeholders may include parents, students, school 
administrators, teachers, school support personnel, school board members, and school bus drivers. 

When addressing auto theft in one district of a city, stakeholders may include car dealerships, neighborhood 
watch groups, victims, and elected officials. 

While preparing a crisis management strategy in a school, stakeholders may include representatives of social 
services and rescue services, parents, students, school administrators, teachers, school board members, mental 
health professionals, and the media. 

Collaboration Toolkit

2 


Step 4 
Consider What 
Stakeholders May 
Expect and What They 
Can Contribute. 

Each individual and organization brings 
expectations to the collaboration. Before 
inviting stakeholders, hypothesize about the 
expectations and potential contributions each 
person and organization may bring, and 
whether these are within the goals of the 
community policing effort. Upon inviting the 
stakeholders to participate, discuss with the 
potential stakeholder, individual and 
organizational expectations for the 
collaboration and assess if these actual 
expectations are reasonable and within the 
goals of the community policing effort. 
Similarly, discuss the contributions and level of 
involvement that each stakeholder wants and is 
able to make to the collaborative effort. For 
example, in addition to their time, some 
organizational stakeholders will be willing to 
contribute additional resources to the 
collaboration, such as meeting space to host 
regular meetings or supplies and equipment to 
produce educational materials. Also determine 
whether the stakeholder can attend planned 
meetings, or is the stakeholder interested in a 
special activity/project of the collaboration? 

Step 5 
Identify Representatives 
from Each Organizational 
Stakeholder. 

When organizations partner in a collaborative 
effort, it is important to consider who should 
represent each organizationwhether 

Section 2: Stakeholders 

individuals at the leadership/management level 
or staff level are appropriate. This decision may 
be based on the amount of time available, skills 
required for participation, knowledge of the 
problem, control of resources, or job 
responsibilities. Generally, with law enforcement 
partnerships, it is important that the active 
participant(s) from the department include a 
line-level officer, deputy, or detective, with 
support from the sheriff or chief or other law 
enforcement executive. Line-level personnel are 
most likely to have knowledge of the specific 
problem or issue; the neighborhood, community, 
or school in which the problem or initiative is 
located; and will often have the time (or be 
granted the time) to be directly involved in 
solving the problem. The support of the sheriff 
or chief, however, is critical to being able to 
commit organizational resources to an initiative. 

Step 6 
Extend an Open Invitation. 

Ask the identified stakeholders to participate in 
an information and visioning meeting. As 
identified stakeholders agree to participate, ask 
them to review the stakeholder list and 
recommend others with a vested interest in the 
problem that may have been overlooked. 

Step 7 
Reexamine the 
Stakeholder List as the 
Collaboration Progresses. 

Community policing collaborations, like all 
partnerships, evolve and grow over time. 
Projects and priorities change. As such, some 
initial stakeholders may wish to withdraw from 
the collaboration, and new stakeholders may 
need to be identified to account for changing 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Section 2: Stakeholders 

issues/priorities and resource/expertise 
requirements. Thus, partners should 
continually reassess the stakeholder list to 
allow members to depart and join the 
collaboration as needed. It is important to 
recognize when a stakeholders involvement 
is simply not working out and allow that 
stakeholder to withdraw from the partnership. 
A stakeholder may overcommit time and 
resources, or may develop divergent goals 
from that of the collaboration, or the best 
interests of the community policing effort 
may be ill-served by the involvement of a 
particular stakeholder. While often difficult, it 
is important for the partners to acknowledge 
when a stakeholder needs to disengage from 
the collaboration and to facilitate the 
stakeholders departure. Allowing for some 
amount of stakeholder modification will allow 
the collaboration to remain vibrant, bringing 
new skills and resources to the collaborative 
effort. 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When identifying potential stakeholders for a 
community policing collaboration, be mindful 
of the following pitfalls and consider 
implementing some of the strategies suggested 
for challenges the collaboration has already 
encountered. Also, to help diagnose a 
struggling partnership, please refer to Section 
1, Tool 1: Unsticking Stuck Groups/ 
Reassessing the Collaboration; in particular, 
items 14 can help partners assess stakeholder 
involvement. 

Pitfall: 
Casting the stakeholder net to a 
narrow group of individuals or 
organizations. While well-established 
relationships clearly are the foundation of a 
successful partnership, a new community 
policing collaboration may benefit from 
networks beyond the traditional 
organizations and individuals with whom 
law enforcement often works. 

Solutions: 
Thinking creatively about who cares about 
the problem, and who can bring skills and 
resources to the collaboration (see Step 2 in 
Action Steps), will expand the network of 
potential stakeholders, and will bring new 
and diverse perspectives to the community 
policing effort. 

Ask each identified stakeholder to identify 
others who may be important to include as a 
stakeholder. 

Do not hesitate to ask for participation from 
high-profile or very busy individuals; the 
issue at stake may be important enough to 
prioritize within a busy schedule. 

Pitfall: 
A representative of an organizational 
partner is not in a position to commit 
organizational resources or make policy 
decisions on behalf of the organization. 
This challenge means that partnership 
activity will be delayed while the 
representative takes information back to the 
policymakers at the organization to seek 
approval. 

Collaboration Toolkit

4 


Solutions: 
Before convening a meeting that may 
require commitment of organizational 
resources, request that organizational 
representatives bring policymakers to that 
meeting. Try to schedule the meeting to 
accommodate their attendance. 

Use technology to keep management of the 
organizational partners informed, even if 
they cannot be present for each meeting. 
For example, circulate agendas and 
meeting minutes by e-mail. 

If the organizational representative is not 
in a position to function as a true partner in 
the collaboration, request that the 
organization broaden its representation to 
include policymakers. 

Pitfall: 
Individual stakeholders expectations 
and motivations are inconsistent with 
the project goals. Stakeholders bring 
specific expectations and agendas to the 
collaboration. At times, some individual or 
organization-specific goals may not 
support the common vision of the 
collaboration, which can cause the project 
to stray from the vision, stall forward 
momentum, or generate ill feelings among 
the partners. 

Solutions: 
Identify individual and organizational 
expectations as part of the stakeholder 
identification process and further discuss 
them during the vision meeting to 
minimize misunderstanding later in the 
community policing effort. 

Section 2: Stakeholders 

If the partners failed to discuss individual 
and organizational goals during vision 
development, revisit that component to 
reestablish buy-in, re-articulate the 
collaborative vision, and redefine the 
objectives and action steps for achieving 
the vision. It is possible that minor 
adjustments to the how tos of achieving 
the overall vision will accommodate 
individual and organizational goals. 

Pitfall: 
Apathy in the community about the 
problem or issue. 

Solutions: 
Assess the nature and extent of the 
problem or issue to be addressed and 
determine if an existing collaboration is 
addressing or has already addressed the 
issue. What is perceived as apathy may 
actually be due to a lack of a real problem 
or that the problem is being addressed by 
another collaboration. 

Apathy may result from lack of public 
education or awareness about the issue or 
a communitys frustration that nothing 
can be done about the problem. Thus, 
engaging one or two well-respected 
community leaders to champion the issue 
may be the first step toward garnering the 
interest of a broader network of potential 
stakeholders. 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Tool 2 
Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

Tool 2 
Identifying Stakeholders, 


This tool can be used to assist you in 
identifying potential stakeholders, their 
potential contributions, and their expectations 
for the problem-solving project or other 
community policing initiative. 

Stakeholders are individuals, groups, and 
organizations who 


1. 
care if the problem is solved or the 
issue is addressed. 
2. 
are being impacted by the problem or 
issue. 
3. 
can help solve the problem or address 
the issue. 
4. 
bring knowledge or skills about the 
issue. 
5. 
will benefit if the problem is solved or 
the issue is addressed. 
6. 
will bring a diverse viewpoint to the 
collaboration. 


Directions: 

Make additional copies of the chart as needed. 
The primary partners in the collaboration 
should ask the following questions for each 
potential stakeholder. The responses to the 
questions should help the partners determine 
whether involvement of the stakeholder may 
further the goals of the community policing 
initiative. Answers to the questions will also 
provide talking points for the invitational 
conversation (e.g., the benefits to participation 
by the stakeholder). 

 
What is the reason that the individual or 
organization has been identified as a 
stakeholder for the community policing 
effort? 
 
How will the individual or organization 
envision their role and what expectations 
will they bring to the project? 
 
What does the individual or organization 
bring to the community policing effort? 
 
What is the goal of working together 
with the identified individual or 
organization? 
 
How will the individual or organization 
benefit from the relationship? 
 
How do you, as the primary partners, 
envision the individual or organization 
being involved in the collaborative 
effort? 


Once all the stakeholders have been identified, 
develop a plan to obtain the commitment of the 
identified stakeholders for the collaborative 
effort. The plan should address how the 
individual or organization will be contacted, by 
whom, and by what date. 

6 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Identifying Stakeholders 


Tool 2 
Stakeholder Stakeholder 
Name 
Affili iat on 
lTe ephone 
Fax 
ilE-ma 
iliMa ng Address 
I ifi Reason dent ed 
iExpectat ons 
ibl i iPoss e Contr but ons 
l of iGoa Work ng Together 
fi f ici iBene ts o Part pat on 
I lnvo vement 
Stakeholder Stakeholder 
Name 
Affili iat on 
lTe ephone 
Fax 
ilE-ma 
iliMa ng Address 
I ifi Reason dent ed 
iExpectat ons 
ibl i iPoss e Contr but ons 
l of iGoa Work ng Together 
fi f ici iBene ts o Part pat on 
I lnvo vement 

7

Collaboration Toolkit 


Tool 2 
Stakeholder Stakeholder 
Name 
Affili iat on 
lTe ephone 
Fax 
ilE-ma 
iliMa ng Address 
I ifi Reason dent ed 
iExpectat ons 
ibl i iPoss e Contr but ons 
l of iGoa Work ng Together 
fi f ici iBene ts o Part pat on 
I lnvo vement 
Stakeholder Stakeholder 
Name 
Affili iat on 
lTe ephone 
Fax 
ilE-ma 
iliMa ng Address 
I ifi Reason dent ed 
iExpectat ons 
ibl i iPoss e Contr but ons 
l of iGoa Work ng Together 
fi f ici iBene ts o Part pat on 
I lnvo vement 

8 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Trust 


In Section 3 

Tool 3: Developing 
Team Norms 

Tool 4: Global Vote 
Exercise 


The Vision 

Partners are truthful in their communication with each other and 
demonstrate that all stakeholders have the best interests of the 
collaborative effort in mind during project-related discussions. 
Partners are at ease in discussing individual concerns about the 
project and do not withhold valuable information from each 
other. Partners demonstrate a willingness to share human and 
financial resources. 


Action Steps to 
Success 

Trust is central and fundamental to 
developing a collaborative working 
relationship between law enforcement and the 
other partners. Taking the time to build 
trusting relationships with partners will often 
spell the difference between success and 
failure. Trust must often be developed on a 
one-to-one basis between primary partners, 
and then among all partners. Therefore, 
sufficient time must be allotted during the 
planning process to allow this trust to 
develop. Trust should deepen as the 
collaborative effort proceeds and partners 
prove themselves through their performance. 
Inherent to trusting relationships is respect for 
each other (including each others 
differences), integrity, and open 
communication. Partners will, invariably, 
come to the project with life experiences and 
preconceptions that may make building trust 
challenging. However, without trust, partners 
may be hesitant to work as a team and 
reluctant to share the talents, time, and 
resources needed for the collaborative effort. 

Trust 

Build for your team a feeling of oneness, 
of dependence upon one another and of 
strength to be derived from unity. 

Vince Lombardi 

Step 1 
Make Personal, 
One-on-One Contact with 
Stakeholders. 

Initial contact with stakeholders is more 
effective if it is made personally, one-on-one. 
Contact with an individual may be made 
through a phone call or a personal visit to 
introduce the project and invite the individuals 
participation. The primary partner should share 
his/her interest and role in the project and ask 
the person contacted about his/her thoughts on 
the problem/issue that the collaboration is 
addressing. 

Step 2 
Be Certain to Listen and 
Show Respect for What 
the Partner/Stakeholder 
Has to Say. 

Open and sensitive communication is critical 
for trust building. When a partner shares his/ 
her perspective, do not judge what s/he is 
saying. Rather, process the information at face 
value and consider it with an open mind. 
Suspend judgment, listen, and work to 
understand a persons perspective rather than 
working to persuade him/her to your ideas. 

Collaboration Toolkit 1 


Section 3: Trust 

Step 3 
Follow up. 

Follow up with a letter, such as the one inviting 
the stakeholder to be a part of a meeting to 
create a shared vision (see Section 4, Tool 5: 
Sample Invitation to a Meeting to Develop a 
Shared Vision). Communicating through a 
memo or newsletter may keep people informed, 
but it is not a substitute for personal contact. Do 
not leave partners questions unanswered. A 
lack of openness can translate into a perception 
of deceptiveness. 

Step 4 
Do Not Rush. 

Dont feel that time to build trust needs to be 
rushed so that the work of the project will move 
ahead. Since trust is only based in part on past 
behavior and is also based on an emotional 
feeling or intuition about individuals, it cannot 
be switched on like a light. Only genuine trust 
is effective; feigned trust will not produce an 
effective collaboration. 

Step 5 

Establish Norms/Ground 
Rules That Create a Tone 
of Collaboration and 
Support Good 
Communication Skills. 

Regardless of the size of the partnership, 
ground rules and norms help to ensure that 
etiquette is observed and that all partners are 
encouraged to ask questions, offer opinions, 
and listen to the ideas and opinions of others. 
The variety of ideas can build stronger 
relationships and a better project. Ground rules 
and norms should be developed at the vision/ 
common goals meeting and periodically 
revisited (see Tool 3: Developing Team 
Norms). The question to be asked, for 2 or 200 
hundred partners is, What agreements can we 
make that will help us work together in an 
effective and efficient manner? 

Norms will be unique to each collaboration. 
However, collaborative norms will answer 
these questions at a minimum: 

 
How long can I expect a meeting to last? 
 
Will meetings start on time? 
 
If I disagree on certain issues, how will 
the disagreement be handled? 


Example 3 Norms 

Have you ever been part of a group that always starts the meeting 10 minutes late? Does the leader always wait 
for a certain member before starting the meeting? Is there a subgroup of individuals who always dominate the 
meeting? If asked about norms, a member of such a group might say, Oh, we didnt take time to develop 
norms. We are a small and informal group. Well, the group does have norms, norms that are disruptive and 
dysfunctional. The implied norms are: 

 
The meeting starts 10 minutes after the announced time. 
 
Some members are more important than other members who arrive on time. 
 
It is acceptable for a few individuals to dominate the discussion. 


Collaboration Toolkit

2 


Section 3: Trust 

 
Are all the partners equal, or do some 
groups have more power than others? 
 
How are decisions made? 
 
How do collaboration members treat 
each other? 
 
What behaviors are acceptable and 
unacceptable within the collaboration? 


Norms will support positive collaborative 
functioning when they are: 

 
Posted and easily viewed at meetings. 
 
Used as facilitative tools to confront 
disruptive behavior. 
 
Used to orient new members to the 
collaborative partnership. 
 
Revisited periodically and changed if 
necessary. 
 
Followed and valued by the team. 


Good communication and respectful 
interactions guided by group norms that have 
been developed, agreed upon, and adhered to 
by all partners will help to build trust. 

Example 4 Ground Rules 

Meeting ground rules or team norms may 
include: 

 
Respect meeting start and end times. 
 
Expect participation from everyone. 
 
Stick to the meeting agenda. 
 
Do not criticize the individual or 
statement when brainstorming. 
 
Allow only one individual to speak at a 
time. 
 
Make all decisions by consensus. 


Step 6 
Be Trustworthy. 


Do not promise more than can be delivered. Be 
responsible, accountable, and loyal. Apologize 
when appropriate. In all interactions, act in a 
way that earns the trust needed for successful 
collaborative problem-solving. 

Step 7 
Do Not Ignore Troubles. 


Ignoring brewing conflict leads to erosion of 
trust. Address issues through facilitated, one-
on-one discussion or implement another means 
of conflict resolution (see Section 7, Tool 12: 
Tips for Conflict Management). 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When developing and strengthening trust in a 
community policing collaboration, be mindful of 
the following pitfalls and consider implementing 
some of the suggested strategies if you have 
already encountered these challenges. Also, to 
help diagnose a struggling partnership, please 
refer to Section 1, Tool 1: Unsticking Stuck 
Groups/Reassessing the Collaboration; in 
particular, items 58 can help partners to assess 
trust. 

Pitfall: 

Partners are hesitant or unwilling to 
contribute or share resources. If members 
of the partnership do not trust that all other 
members are operating with the best interests 

Collaboration Toolkit 3 


Section 3: Trust 


of the collaboration as their guiding principle, 
they may fear being manipulated or being 
taken advantage of and will not offer their 
valued resources for joint use. It may be the 
case that a partner feels s/he has already been 
taken advantage of and is protecting against 
future occurrences. 

Solutions: 
When some individuals do not have all the 
facts, fear may influence their explanations or 
understanding. Continually share information 
and decision-making with all partners. Bring 
closure to all discussions and misunderstandings, even if this means getting back to 
someone with an answer to a difficult 
question. 

Acknowledge and value all resource 
contributions. Hold all partners accountable 
for their resource commitments. 

Incorporate the vision statement into all 
collaboration meetings and be certain to 
ensure that a direct link exists between 
strategies devised and the outcome described 
in the vision statement. 

Pitfall: 
Partners are unwilling to share 
information. Without confidence that 
information will be kept confidential within 
the partnership and that it will not be 
misconstrued by the partners or in the media, 
partners will not share valuable information. 

Solution: 
In the beginning of the partnership, develop a 
memorandum of understanding (MOU) about 
what information will be shared with whom. 
Specifically address how confidential and 
proprietary information will be handled. If the 
partnership began without an MOU, hold a 
meeting to work through issues of 
information sharing, conflict resolution, and 
resource contribution in a formal, agreed-
upon document signed by all partners (see 
Section 8, Tool 13: Memorandum of 
Understanding Development Guidelines). 

Pitfall: 
Partners frequently overreact during 
meetings, become emotionally upset, or 
create a public scene. If members of the 
collaboration act out during meetings over 
seemingly minor issues, this may be because 
a brewing problem of trust has been ignored. 

Solutions: 
The underlying issue must be discovered and 
addressed; otherwise, only the symptoms will 
be addressed and problems will arise again at 
a later date. Address issues through 
facilitated, one-on-one discussion, or 
implement another means of conflict 
resolution (see Section 7, Tool 12: Tips for 
Conflict Management). 

In addition to addressing underlying 
problems, trust can be rebuilt through team-
building activities such as ropes courses, 
nature challenges, and other facilitated 
exercises. To have a lasting impact, these 
exercises must be translated back to the work 
and work style of the collaboration. 

4 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

Tool 3: Developing Team Norms, outlines the 
process by which stakeholders can develop 
norms for the team that is forming. Tool 4: 
Global Vote Exercise, will help team members 
discuss their feelings, attitudes, and trust, so 
that team members better understand each other 
and establish a foundation that can improve 
trust and confidence in one another. 

Tool 3 

Developing Team Norms 

Directions: 

Team norms should be developed using the 
following process: 

1. 
Explain the importance of developing 
norms (refer to the text on developing 
norms in step 5). Inform the group that 
they are going to develop a set of ground 
rules or norms, which will guide the 
partners as they work on the 
collaborative initiative. 
2. 
Suggest areas that may be considered 
when developing norms. These include 
but are not limited to time; decision-
making; communication issues such as 
listening, interrupting, and side 
conversations; conflict management and 
confidentiality. 
3. 
Follow brainstorming guidelines (refer to 
Section 5, Tool 9), ask the team to offer 
ground rules/norms that they would like 
to implement. Record all suggestions. 


Tools 3 



4. 
When the team has exhausted their 
suggestions, review the list, giving 
members an opportunity to comment or 
to ask questions. Team members may 
also voice opposition to a particular 
norm. 
5. 
After the norms have been reviewed, the 
facilitator asks if everyone can live with 
and agree to follow the suggested 
ground rules. 
6. 
When all team members are in 
agreement, the agreed upon norms are 
accepted guides for the working 
interactions of the team. 
7. 
Write out the final norms and post or 
disseminate them to the team. 
8. 
The team should revise the norms when 
they become less than useful or 
unnecessary. 


Tool 4 

Global Vote Exercise1 

Position two large signs about 30 to 50 feet 
apart. On the left sign (as you face it), write 
Almost Never and the number 1. On the 
other sign, write Almost Always and the 
number 7. Each partner should visualize a 
scale between 1 and 7 between the two signs. A 
facilitator will make a series of statements. 
After the first statement, the partners should 
stand on the scale at the number corresponding 
to his/her impressions or responses to the 
statement. After all partners are standing on the 

1 Adapted from: Bodwell, D.J. High Performance Teams. Dallas, TX: PT Consulting 
Partners. http://rampages.onramp.net/~bodwell/home.htm. 

Collaboration Toolkit 

5 


Section 3: Trust 

scale, the facilitator will select someone and 
ask, Why are you standing there? The 
facilitator should ask another person the same 
question and continue doing so until all 
partners have the opportunity to respond. 
Repeat the activity for the three following 
statements: 

 
We tell each other the truth. 
 
We respect one another. 
 
We seek to understand one another. 


After asking Why are you standing there? to 
each partner for the third statement, the 
partners need a break to think about what the 
other team members have said and how they 
might better work with each other. 

6 Collaboration Toolkit 


Shared Vision and 
Common Goals 

In Section 4 

Tool 5: Sample 
Invitation to a Meeting 
to Develop a Shared 
Vision 

Tool 6: Sample Form 
for Soliciting 
Feedback from 
Stakeholders Unable 
to Participate in the 
Visioning Meeting 

The Vision 

The partners in the collaborative effort have 
articulated, agreed upon, and are working 
toward specific common goals and demonstrate 
a commitment to the values and beliefs that 
guide the collaboration. The partners view 
themselves as part of a worthwhile effort and 
believe that they can improve the community 
through their participation in the collaboration. 


Action Steps to 
Success 

The various interests represented by the 
collaborations partners necessitate creating and 
articulating a common vision. That vision 
statement will form the foundation from which 
all other strategic elements emanate.2 The 
vision statement should express the philosophy 
(values and beliefs), as well as purpose, of the 
collaboration, to which all partners agree. 
Developing a vision can be a difficult, time-
consuming task. However, the vision statement 
is criticalit will clarify and chart the 
collaborations future direction.3 

The collaborations success will depend, to a 
large extent, on the clarity of the shared vision 
and whether it has incorporated all the reasons 
for the collaborations existence.4 A shared 
vision brings focus to the team. A lack of focus 
allows for conflicting agendas. As the initiative 
progresses, collaboration partners should 
reassess and modify the vision statement if the 
communitys needs change, a problem is 
solved, or if collaboration membership changes 
significantly. However, because the vision is 
the foundation for the community policing 
collaboration, modifying the vision statement 
should not be considered lightly. 

Shared Vision and 
Common Goals 

The soul cannot think without a 
picture. 

Aristotle 

Step 1 
Plan the Vision/Common 
Goals Meeting. 

Review Section 5, Expertise, to learn how to 
plan and conduct effective meetings; select a 
meeting location and time and develop an 
agenda. Taking the time to plan the visioning 
meeting and making sure that appropriate 
stakeholders are invited will be a great first 
step in ensuring the success of the 
collaboration. 

Step 2 
Invite Stakeholders to the 
Vision/Common Goals 
Meeting. 

Once the stakeholders have been identified (see 
Section 2, Tool 2: Identifying Stakeholders), 
invite these stakeholders to a meeting to 
develop the vision and define common goals of 
the problem-solving effort or other community 
policing initiative. The number of individuals 
who attend the visioning meeting may not be 

2 Below, P.J., Morrissey, G.L., and Acomb, B.L. The Executive Guide to Strategic 
Planning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1987. 

3 Goodstein, L.D., Nolan, T.M., and Pfeiffer, J.W. Applied Strategic Planning: A 
Comprehensive Guide. San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer and Company, 1992. 

4 Ayers, M.B.Strategic Planning for Local Gang Prevention and Control. Prepared for 
the Police Executive Research Forum by Circle Solutions, Inc., Washington, DC: U.S. 
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 1994. 

Collaboration Toolkit 1 


as important as the individuals invited. Often, 
individuals and organizations, regardless of 
whether they can attend the visioning meeting, 
will feel more a part of the community policing 
initiative if they are invited to contribute their 
ideas during the project. This is one reason that 
brainstorming about stakeholders should be 
inclusive rather than exclusive. 

Decide on ways to gather ideas from interested 
stakeholders who are unable to attend the 
meeting. One technique is to solicit, in advance, 
written ideas that capture their vision for the 
community policing initiative. Personal 
invitations (by phone, letter, or e-mail) present 
an opportunity to begin to establish trust among 
stakeholders, even for those unable to attend the 
visioning meeting. 

Communicate the following points: 

 
The impetus for the meeting is the 
partnership among law enforcement and 
school, community group, etc., to 
address a specific community problem or 
issue. 
 
Basic information known about the 
problem or issue. 
 
The purpose of the meeting (i.e., to agree 
upon a vision and common goals for the 
initiative). 
 
Meeting logistics. 
 
Each invitee was identified as someone 
whose perspective and ideas are 
important. 
 
The meeting will start and end on time 
(usually no longer than 11/2 hours to 
respect attendees schedules and ensure 
that the discussion is focused and 
productive). 


 
Participation in the visioning session 
will not obligate the stakeholders in any 
way. 
 
Invitees may extend an invitation to 
others who may have a stake in the 
community policing effort. 


A sample personalized letter of invitation to a 
meeting to develop a shared vision is provided 
in Tool 5. Also, Tool 6 provides a sample form 
to capture ideas from stakeholders that are 
unable to attend the meeting. This form may 
be mailed or e-mailed with the letter or used to 
record information provided during a 
telephone conversation with the stakeholder. 

Step 3 
Identify a Facilitator and 
Other Staff for the 
Meeting. 

The facilitator may be one of the primary 
partners, a stakeholder, or a professional 
facilitator hired expressly for this meeting. 
Refer to Section 5, Expertise, to learn more 
about the role of a facilitator and for 
facilitation tips. Select a meeting recorder/ 
notetaker (at future meetings, the recorder can 
be determined on an ad hoc basis). 

Step 4 
Conduct the Vision/ 
Common Goals Meeting. 

When stakeholders arrive at the visioning 
meeting, the primary partners should greet 
each person individually. Also, providing basic 
refreshments is a nice compliment to a first 
meeting, but certainly refreshments are not 
required for a successful meeting. Throughout 


Section 4: Shared Vision and Common Goals 

the meeting, the collaborations primary 
members should model their partnership and 
conduct the meeting together. 

Outline for the visioning meeting: 

1. 
Introduce the primary partners; describe 
objectives of the meeting and background 
on the issue/problem. 
(5 minutes) 
2. 
Introduce attendees and their interest or 
background in the problem/issue being 
addressed. 
(10 minutes) 
3. 
Brainstorm with the group on meeting 
ground rules or broader norms for the 
collaboration. (Misunderstanding and 
conflicts arise when norms are implied 
rather than explicitly articulated.) 
(10 minutes) 
4. 
Identify the community/target area and 
population. The problem/issue that has 
brought the team together may have been 
identified through a grant application. 
Defining the specific population and 
geographic boundary of the project is 
necessary before developing a shared 
vision. If available, present and discuss 


preliminary information that may 
provide insight about a problem in 
certain location. 
(5 minutes) 


5. 
Plan for the future. Ask each person to 
think ahead to a specific time (e.g., 6 
months, the next school year, etc). 
Decide on a timeframe that makes the 
most sense for your particular situation. 
Ask the group to envision what the 
community/school situation will be like 
once the problem or issue is addressed. 
The facilitator asks questions such as: 

 
What is happening? 
 
What do you see and hear? 
 
What is different? 


Participants answer these questions 
silently. Each person should jot down 
key phrases that describe their 
experience. Encourage participants to 
express their most idealistic, hopeful, 
and positive ideas. This is not the time 
to restrict and edit thinking. Remember 
that you are working toward articulating 
a shared vision. 
(5 minutes) 

Example 5 Identifying the Target Area or Population 

If bullying among students at schools is the issue that brought you together, define the population to be 
addressed and the geographic area you are targeting. 

 
Does the problem pertain to an entire school? 
 
Are you addressing a specific grade within the school? 
 
Does the target group cover several grades (e.g., student athletes, band members)? 
 
Do you want to target incidents occurring on school grounds but outside the building? 
 
Do you want to include incidents that spill over before and after school to the three blocks 
surrounding the school, including businesses that have complained of incidents? 
 
Are you thinking of a vision for the building? 


Collaboration Toolkit 3 


6. 
Share ideas. Depending on the size of the 
group, this step can be conducted 
individually, in pairs, or in a small group 
of three or four participants. If there are 
less than eight participants, have each 
person share the one or two most 
important things that s/he has jotted 
down. A group of 8 to 12 can work in 
pairs. A larger group can be broken into 
small work groups. For larger groups, go 
from person to person, pair to pair, or 
group to group and ask a spokesperson 
to present one of the ideas recorded. 
Only one idea is presented at a time. 
Continue going from person to person 
(or group to group) until all major 
thoughts have been spoken and recorded. 
List other ideas obtained from persons 
not able to attend the meeting. 
(20 minutes) 
7. 
Identify themes. Ask the group (still 
working individually, in pairs, or in 
small groups) to use the list generated in 
the previous step to identify recurring 


themes that capture the spirit and vision 
of the group. Write these themes as 
two- or three-word vision statements. 
(10 minutes) 

8. Formulate one vision statement that 
captures the themes and issues. This 
will become the statement that you 
communicate as you recruit new 
partners and garner support. This is the 
statement that describes the shared 
visionwhat the partnership is working 
toward. Depending on the time and the 
energy of the group, this step may have 
to be completed at a different time with 
a subset of the entire group. If the 
statement is not developed by the whole 
group, provide a way for those not 
involved to give final approval. 
(20 minutes) 

Example 6 Identify Themes 

A team is developing a crisis management strategy for Langdon High School. Confirm that the high school 
is the appropriate level at which to work. The target population is all students (grades 912) and people 
who work at the school. Some themes that might have emerged from the previous steps are: 

 
Teachers and students know what to do in a crisis. 
 
Current service contact information is accessible to all school personnel. 
 
Classrooms have crisis kits. 
 
Teachers can contact the office from the classroom. 
 
Parents have confidence in school safety. 
 
Immediate responders have accurate school layout and other information. 



9. Recap the meeting objectives, 
summarize what the meeting 
accomplished, discuss next steps for 
the group, and determine if 
participants are interested in being 
ongoing partners in the endeavor. 
(5 minutes) 

10. Thank participants for attending the 
meeting. 

Step 5 
Keep the Vision 
Statement Visible and 
Use It. 

Once the vision statement is developed, post 
it on a flipchart in the meeting room. Include 
the vision statement at the top of future 
meeting announcements or agendas. If this is 
a school project, ask a student to write an 
article for the school newspaper about the 
groups vision. Be creative in the ways the 
target community is notified about collaboration efforts and activities. 

The primary purpose of the vision statement 
is to provide focus to the endeavor and keep 
partners energized. Some creative, specific, 
and additional uses for the vision statement 
include: 

 To give direction for resource 
expenditures. Make a poster of the 
vision statement. Display the 
statement at meetings as a reminder of 
the collaboration goals. Allocate 
resources in ways that will bring the 
team closer to the shared vision. 

Section 4: Shared Vision and Common Goals 

 
To direct discussion. The vision 
statement can help direct discussions 
about alternative responses or courses of 
action. 
 
To provide a common ground and 
defuse disagreements. Returning to the 
shared vision reminds partners of 
agreed-upon direction when there are 
disagreements. 
 
To serve as a basis for future 
planning. The shared vision can be the 
basis for directiondeveloping the 
objectives and strategies in the action 
plan (see Section 10, Action Plan). 
 
To serve as a public relations tool. 


Publicize the shared vision. Use the 
shared vision to identify and distinguish 
your collaborative initiative. Incorporate 
the vision statement in a symbol for the 
project. Have a poster contest to choose 
a project logo. This is a creative way to 
involve youth. Brainstorm ways to 
advertise the vision throughout the 
community and attract new partners to 
support the initiative. 

 As part of daily school 
announcements (for school-based 
projects). It would not take long to end 
the morning announcements with, 
Remember our commitment to make 

Example 7 Vision Statement 

A sample statement might be: 

Our vision is to create a safe high school where 
students, school personnel, social service providers, 
and emergency responders are not only prepared and 
equipped to deal with a school crisis, but also are 
always working towards preventing any such crisis. 

Collaboration Toolkit 5 


Central High School a bully-free 
environment. This is also an opportunity 
to incorporate some of the themes that 
were identified in the meeting as points 
of special emphasis. For example, one 
weeks announcements might suggest 
specific ways that the school community 
can demonstrate respect for diversity. 

 
To keep it alive. A shared vision 
statement can be a source of inspiration 
and a great recruiting tool. It must be 
kept in the minds of the collaboration 
members. 
 
As a benchmark for project 
evaluation. Collaboration partners will 
want to know whether the time, 
resources, and talents they have 
committed to the vision have been 
successful. The vision statement can be 
the foundation on which an outcome 
evaluation is designed. 



Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When developing and strengthening a shared 
vision in a community policing collaboration, 
beware of the following pitfalls and consider 
implementing some of the suggested strategies 
if you have already encountered these 
challenges. Also, to help diagnose a struggling 
partnership, please refer to Section 1, Tool 1: 
Unsticking Stuck Groups/Reassessing the 
Collaboration; in particular, items 912 can 
help partners to assess the shared vision. 

Pitfall: 
The community is apathetic about the 
cause; therefore, the effort loses steam or 
does not get off the ground. If potential 
stakeholders and those with resources do 
not rally to the cause, the project may not 
get off the ground or may be slowed or 
stopped due to a lack of personnel, political, 
or financial support. 

Solutions: 
Often, potential stakeholders may not fully 
understand how the issue impacts them 
specifically; this promotes apathy. 
Gathering preliminary information that 
demonstrates who is impacted and describes 
specific short- and long-term impacts to 
those individuals or organizations will make 
the issue real and help generate support. Do 
not proceed with vision development until 
the problem or issue is sufficiently 
understood by all stakeholders. 

While the collaborations founding partners 
have an initial intent for coming together, 
they must be open to allowing the vision 
and objectives to accommodate individual 
stakeholders agendas that are reasonable 
and within the goals of the community 
policing effort. Be sure to involve all 
potential partners in the vision development 
meeting so that individual expectations can 
be heard and considered. Revisit and revise 
the vision statement if it does not 
accommodate those needs. 

Pitfall: 
Meetings are long and unproductive. If 
meetings are not directed by or do not 
support the outcomes outlined by the vision 
statement, collaboration partners will likely 


find themselves digressing from the main 
objective of the meeting, arguing over 
decisions, or expending resources on 
activities that do not support the vision. 
This will lead to frustration and chaos. 

Solution: 
Make the vision statement visible; 
continually refer to it as a gauge of whether 
the team is on track. Post the vision 
statement at each meeting, and make sure 
that it is prominently displayed on meeting 
agendas and on all correspondence sent to 
collaboration partners. Never schedule a 
meeting until determining that the meeting 
agenda supports the collaboration vision. 

Pitfall: 
Partners focus on current obstacles 
rather than on future possibilities. When 
the partners become so entrenched in the 
details of planning and implementing tasks 
that they fail to deal with these activities 
within the context of the overall vision, they 
may become discouraged by challenges and 
want to give up. 

Solutions: 
Begin each planning meeting by briefly 
reviewing the vision statement. Post the 
statement in the meeting rooms. Before 
assigning a task, always reiterate the 
importance of the task and show how the 
task supports the collaborations overall 
vision. 

As a team, assess whether sufficient 
resources have been allocated to complete a 
particular task. If they have not, use Section 
2, Tool 2: Identifying Stakeholders under 
possible contributions to reallocate 
personnel resources based on available 

Section 4: Shared Vision and Common Goals 

skills. Also refer to Section 9, Tool 16: 
Identifying Funding Resources and Options 
for help on how to organize the search for 
additional funds or in-kind resources. 

Pitfall: 
Partners become discouraged and lose 
energy for the project. If the teams vision 
is unrealistic or the project is unrealistic 
given the amount of time or number of 
persons (or organizations) available to 
accomplish the project, partners will see 
themselves as failing before they begin and 
wont be enthusiastic about the project. 

Solution: 
Be sure to develop a vision that is attainable 
within the realm of available resources. If 
all partners agree to a somewhat lofty 
vision, consider setting short-term 
objectives that can be achieved and 
celebrated while striving for the overall, 
more ambitious (but perhaps attainable) 
outcome. 

Pitfall: 
The collaboration fails to produce results 
commensurate with the time and effort 
expended. If the partners lose focus on the 
vision, they may mistake certain activities as 
productivity. Therefore, partners may realize 
at some point that while they are quite busy, 
they are no closer to the goal. 

Solution: 
Do not commit the collaboration to 
implementing a task without clarifying how 
that activity will bring the collaboration 
closer to the shared vision. If that link is not 
obvious, do not proceed. 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Tool 5 
Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

Tool 5 is a sample letter that may be modified 
and used to invite stakeholders to a meeting to 
develop the collaborations vision and project 
goals. Tool 6 is a sample form that may be used 
to collect information from stakeholders who 
are unable to attend the Vision/Common Goals 
meeting, but who would like to provide input 
into the effort. 

Tool 5 

Sample Invitation to a Meeting to 
Develop a Shared Vision 

Date 
Dear (Name of Stakeholder)
, 


The (law enforcement agency name) and the (name of primary partner/partner 
organization) are joining together to address the problem of (name identified problem/ 
issue) in (name specific school, neighborhood, or community). One of our first steps 
in working together was to identify groups and individuals that may have an interest 
in addressing this problem. You have been identified as someone whose ideas and 
perspectives would contribute to addressing this important issue. 

On (date) at (time) we will be meeting with stakeholders at (place) to begin to discuss 
these issues and develop a shared and agreed-upon vision of what we plan to achieve 
by addressing this issue. This meeting will last no more than 11/2 hours. This meeting 
will be facilitated by (name or affiliation of the person who will facilitate), which will 
allow us to keep the process on track and end the meeting on time. 

We are very excited about this collaborative project, and we hope that you will decide 
to be an ongoing member of our team. It is important, however, to note that 
attendance at this meeting will not obligate you in any way. 

It is our intent to involve as many different groups and individuals as are interested in 
this dialogue. Please feel free to bring other interested people to the meeting. 
Everyone is welcome. 

If you are interested in this project but are unable to attend the meeting, please contact 
(name of contact) at (give e-mail address, phone number, and a mailing address) and 
share your ideas so that they may be included as we develop the vision that will guide 
our work. Also, please contact (name given above) if you have any questions. 

We need you and your ideas to address (problem/issue) in our community. Please join 
us on (repeat logistical information). We look forward to seeing you at this meeting as 
we take the first important step in addressing (issue). 

(Signed by the primary partners) 


Too 


Tool 6 

Sample Form for Soliciting 
Feedback from Stakeholders 
Unable to Participate in the 
Visioning Meeting 

Thank you for taking a few minutes to provide your ideas and perspective in addressing 
(problem or issue) in (target location). We appreciate your feedback and welcome your 
ongoing participation in our collaborative community policing effort. Please also provide 
your contact information (if we do not already have that information), so that we may 
contact you regarding questions, provide you with information from our visioning 
meeting, and notify you about follow-up meetings and activities. 

Name: _______________________________________________________________ 
Affiliation (if appropriate):_______________________________________________ 
Phone #: _____________________________Fax #: __________________________ 
E-mail: ______________________________________________________________ 
Street Address: ________________________________________________________ 

1. In your opinion, does (problem/issue statement) appropriately define the issue/ 
problem? 

Example 8 

 
In your opinion, does bullying on the Wilson Elementary School playground 
during lunch and recess appropriately identify the issue? 
 
In your opinion, does theft of vehicles from Northwest Madison neighborhoods 
and local parking lots appropriately identify the problem? 
 
In your opinion, does developing a coordinated, multidisciplinary strategy for 
addressing crises such as a bomb threat, school shooting, natural disasters, fire, 
chemical spill, or explosion, etc., at Langdon High School appropriately identify 
the issue? 


Collaboration Toolkit 

9 


Tool 6 
2. Please provide your perspective on whether addressing (problem/issue) in/at/on 
(the proposed geographic area) is the appropriate target location or whether and why 
a broader or narrower target area should be addressed. 

Example 9 

 
Please provide your perspective on whether addressing bullying on the Wilson 
Elementary School playground is the appropriate target location or whether 
and why a broader or narrower target area should be addressed. 
 
Please provide your perspective on whether auto theft from the Northwest 
Madison neighborhoods and parking lots is the appropriate target location or 
whether and why a broader or narrower target area should be addressed. 
 
Please provide your perspective on whether developing a crisis management 
strategy for Langdon High School is the appropriate location or whether we 
should develop the plan at a broader (e.g., districtwide or countywide) level? 


3. Visualize 1 year from now. What do you think the (community/school issue/ 
problem) will look like once the problem is addressed? Specifically: 


 
What is happening? ________________________________________________ 
 
What do you see and hear? __________________________________________ 
 
What is different? _________________________________________________ 


4. 
How would you like to be involved in the partnership to address (problem/issue)? 
5. 
When is the best time for you to meet? ___________________________________ 
6. 
What is the best method and time to contact you? __________________________ 
7. 
What are your expectations from the collaborative effort? ____________________ 


Is there anyone else you would like us to invite to participate in this effort? If so, 
please provide names, affiliations (if appropriate), and contact information. 



Expertise 


In Section 5 

Tool 7: Expertise and 
ResourcesWhat Does the 
Collaborative Effort Need? 

Tool 8: Expertise and 

Resource Inventory 
Tool 9: Guidelines for 
Brainstorming 

Tool 10: Brainstorming 
Activities 


The Vision 

Collectively, the partners possess all 
necessary knowledge and skills to complete 
all of the tasks that will be essential to 
successful implementation of the 
collaborative effort. The partners know what 
resources will be required and have plans to 
resolve gaps in existing expertise. 


Action Steps to 
Success 

Regardless of how clear the vision or how 
detailed the action plan, if partners do not 
collectively possess the expertise to complete 
required tasks of the collaborative effort, there 
will be doubts about the projects chances for 
success. It may be frustrating to know what 
should be done, but not have the talent or skills 
to accomplish the vision. Each community 
policing collaboration requires its own specific 
set of skills and expertise. One of the many 
positive aspects of collaboration is that because 
numerous individuals and organizations are 
involved in the project, no one person must 
possess all of the skills necessary for success. 

Step 1 
Identify the Knowledge 
and Skills That You Will 
Need to Implement the 
Collaborative Effort. 

Tool 7: Expertise and ResourcesWhat Does 
the Collaborative Effort Need? will help 
identify the specific skills that the collaboration 
will need. 

Expertise 


Genius is one percent 

inspiration and ninety-nine 

percent perspiration. 

Thomas Edison 

Step 2 
Identify Partners 
Knowledge and Skills. 

As part of the process of identifying 
stakeholders for the collaborative effort, you 
also should have identified possible 
contributions that each of those stakeholders 
may bring to the collaborative effort. Ask each 
stakeholder to highlight the knowledge and the 
skills that s/he brings to project. Tool 8: Sample 
Expertise and Resource Inventory is included 
in this section. 

Step 3 
Identify Gaps in 
Knowledge and Skills 
and Develop a Strategy 
to Fill Those Gaps. 

Once you have assessed the existing range of 
knowledge and skills available to the 
collaboration, identify knowledge/skills gaps 
and develop strategies for how to bring needed 
skills to the collaboration. For example, 
partners may decide to identify new 
stakeholders who can fill knowledge/skills 
gaps, or partners may choose to implement 
training or education activities among the 
existing stakeholders to fill gaps in critical 

Collaboration Toolkit 1 


knowledge and skills. Only by carefully 
analyzing the knowledge/skills needs of the 
project and developing a realistic plan to 
access these knowledge and skills will the 
collaboration be ensured that the necessary 
expertise exists to actually implement the 
community policing effort. 

Step 4 
Ensure That Facilitation 
Skills Are Present within 
the Collaboration. 

Facilitation skills are essential for project 
planning, sustaining stakeholder involvement, 
conducting effective meetings, resolving 
conflicts, and ensuring open communication. 
One or more of the partners may be a 
facilitator, be willing to learn the skill, or have 
access to a facilitator. An objective facilitator 
may also be employed. 

Some individuals are more natural facilitators 
than others. However, facilitation is a skill; 
individuals can learn facilitation techniques, 
improving their skills with practice. 
Facilitators act as guides rather than subject 
matter experts. The facilitators responsibility 
is to ensure structured interaction while 
creating an environment in which individuals 
are comfortable in expressing their views and 
concerns and engaging in brainstorming, 
planning, and problem resolution. 

Facilitators generally do not participate in 
discussionsrather, they direct them. A 
facilitator should: 

 
Enforce the meeting ground rules. 
 
Draw all persons into the conversation 
equally (see Tools 9 and 10). 
 
Reduce interruptions. 
 
Explore a variety of alternatives within the 
discussion. 
 
Avoid taking sides rather, mediate 
differences. 
 
Keep the meeting moving, honoring time 
constraints. 
 
Provide objective reporting of decisions. 


Refer to Learn More About It, found at the 
conclusion of this section for more resources on 
facilitation. 


Section 5: Expertise 

Facilitator Dos and Donts 
Do: Dont: 

 
Set the room in a way that all  Set the room for theater or classroom 
participants can face one another. style seating. 
 
Break the ice in a newly formed  Make conversation only with well-
group. (Many icebreaker exercises known members of the group or assume 
are readily available.) that all participants know one another. 
 
Sit during the discussion, unless  Use a podium or present an 
recording discussion points on authoritative or overbearing presence in 
newsprint/flipchart paper. the room. 
 
Clearly discuss with the group the  Develop meeting objectives in a 
purpose of the meetingat the vacuum, without input from partners, or 
beginning of the meeting. leave objectives unstated. 
 
Refer to the agenda and keep  Encourage discussion of unrelated 
discussion focused on the meeting issues and suggestions or personal 
objectives. issues. 
 
Listen and ask questions.  Make lengthy comments. 
 
Provide information, not opinions.  Use the role of facilitator to present your 
own ideas or get your way. 
 
Respond to comments with empathy.  Make negative comments. 
 
Give participants time to think and  Fear silence or fill discussion pauses 
process information. with chatter. 
 
Build on contributions.  Overlook even small contributions. 
 
Encourage input from all  Allow one individual to steal the show, 
participants and respect everyones or ignore others. 
opinion. 
 
Postpone new topics until a future  Replace the current agenda with 
meeting. someones current crisis. 
 
Summarize comments and clarify  Act bossy and give directions. 
direction. 
 
Observe body language and respond  Take things personally and ignore signs 
appropriately. that a break or shift is needed. 
 
Help the group come to its own  Provide solutions or make decisions for 
conclusions. participants. 
 
Suggest problem-solving and  Fail to intervene. 
conflict resolution techniques. 


Collaboration Toolkit 


Step 5 
Know How to Conduct 
Effective Meetings. 

While most individuals do not look forward to 
attending meetings, they are a necessary part of 
collaborative initiatives. Meetings that are well 
planned, focused, and conducted in a respectful, 
efficient manner can foster and support 
successful collaborative efforts. Partners in the 
collaboration should share responsibility for 
planning and conducting meetings. Sharing 
responsibility lightens the burden and provides 
opportunities for more individuals to have a 
meaningful role in the collaboration. There are 
four phases to conducting effective meetings: 

Phase I: 

Planning the Meeting 

1. 
Decide on a clear goal for the meeting 
and make sure that the agenda reflects 
that goal. 
2. 
Be prepared with any information that is 
needed for the meeting. 
3. 
Decide who needs to be present to 
accomplish the meeting goal. 
4. 
Plan the agenda with collaboration 
partners. Remember that people support 
what they help create. 
5. 
Include realistic time allotments for each 
agenda item; identify who will present or 
facilitate each session listed on the 
agenda. 
6. 
Distribute the agenda and any 
background information to participants at 
least one week before the meeting. 


Phase II: 

Meeting Logistics 

1. 
Start and end the meeting on time. 
2. 
Provide sign-in sheets with space for 
name, organization, and contact 
information. 
3. 
Select meeting space that is comfortable, 
safe, and convenient. 
4. 
Schedule informal time before and after 
the meeting for participants to network. 
5. 
Have regularly scheduled meetings, but 
dont have meetings just to meet. 


Phase III: 

Conducting the Meeting 

1. 
Facilitate introductions, unless you are 
certain that all participants know one 
another. 
2. 
Establish agreement on the agenda items 
and ground rules/norms (see Section 3, 
Tool 3: Developing Team Norms). 
3. 
Make sure discussion stays on track. 
4. 
Honor agenda time allotments. 
5. 
Wrap up each discussion by 
summarizing any conclusions aloud. 
6. 
Move to the next agenda item only when 
all participants agree about the 
summary/conclusions from the previous 
agenda item. 
7. 
Encourage active participation by all 
participants. Avoid having the meeting 
dominated by the most vocal 
participant(s). 



Section 5: Expertise 

8. 
As the meeting facilitator, keep the 
discussion balanced, never take sides. 
9. 
Rotate chairing the meeting. 


Tips for Meeting Leaders 

 
Have a sense of humor. 
 
Avoid being defensive. 
 
Use open-ended questions that 
require participants to say more 
than YES or NO. 
 
Look around the room for cues 
from participants that the pace of 
the meeting should be slowed or 
sped up. 


Phase IV: 

Following Up on the Meeting 

1. 
Periodically ask participants to assess the 
effectiveness of the meetings and to 
recommend strategies for improvement. 
2. 
Make follow-up calls or send notes as 
reminders for any agenda items that 
require additional action. 
3. 
Summarize decisions, announcements, 
date of next meeting, and follow-up 
responsibilities. Send this information to 
all participants. 


The best way to avoid difficult situations is to 
anticipate them and implement good planning 
and prevention techniques. However, in spite of 
all efforts to plan and conduct effective 
meetings, a meeting can be sidetracked and lose 
focus. Consider the scenario in Example 10. 

Example 10 Loosing Meeting Focus 

There have been a number of incidents involving fights after school between two factions of the 
student body. The dissention is causing parents to take sides, and the incidents are continuing 
across the street after school hours. You (a school resource officer) and your partner (one of the 
schools vice principals) have been working together for a month. During that time you have 
engaged a number of other individuals (two parents, a counselor, a representative of the student 
council, and the owner of the convenience store across the street from the school) interested in 
working to address the problem. You and your partner realize that it is important to have a larger 
group involved, so you jointly plan a meeting to develop a shared vision for the school community. 
You have planned the meeting carefully. The purpose of the meeting is clear. The agenda is well 
designed. The meeting turnout is great. You are pleased that so many people are attending the 
meeting, but then... 

 
A participant strays from the agenda. 
 
A participant challenges the way you are conducting the meeting. 
 
The group continues to raise the same point over and over. 
 
Some participants conduct side conversations during the meeting. 
 
A participant verbally attacks another group member. 
 
A participant continually expresses doubts about accomplishing the stated goals, saying, 
Yes, but... 


Collaboration Toolkit 5 


Tips on How to Save a Meeting 5 

Use these tips to manage disrupters and  When appropriate, use humor to ease 
turn bad situations into productive tense situations. You want meetings to 
meetings: be enjoyable, even when the work is 

 
Use the agenda to keep things on track. serious. A word of cautionnever use 
humor at the expense of a member of 


 
Should you get off track, have the group the group. 
decide what to do. For example, We 


 Take a break and talk with theseem to have gotten off the agenda topic, 
disrupter(s). Address sensitive issuesso do you want to spend 5 minutes more 
outside the room.

talking about this issue, or would you 
rather return to the agenda and table this  Appoint a subcommittee from the 
discussion until after we have finished large group that will address the 
our business? Have a well-defined problem/issue. 
agenda, but allow flexibility so that 

 Adjourn the meeting and reschedule itstakeholders may raise issues they to allow tempers to cool and more

believe are important. 

information to be collected about the 

 Acknowledge the disruption. If you feel issue. That will allow participants to 
undermined or frustrated, admit it. Other make an informed decision. 
group members also may be frustrated 

 Recognize that when all else fails, youby the disruption and can work with you may need to ask the disrupter(s) to end

to get the agenda back on track. 

their participation in the meeting. 

Step 6 


Recognize That Your 
Needs for Specific 
Knowledge and Skills 
Will Change. 

Collaborative efforts grow and evolve over 
time. As items from the original action plan 
are completed, other, perhaps unanticipated, 
tasks will likely surface. These new tasks 
may require additional or different 
knowledge and skills. Collaboration partners 
should continually reflect on what needs to 
be accomplished and what expertise is needed 
to accomplish these outcomes. Remember, 
collaborative efforts are like learning 
organizationsthey evolve over time and 
often demand that knowledge and skills be 
continually developed and fostered. 

5 KU Work Group on Health Promotion and Community 
Development. Conducting Effective Meetings. In: Community Tool 
Box. Chapter 16, Section 2. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas, 
2000. Available at: http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu. 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When identifying and building the expertise for 
a community policing collaboration, beware of 
the following pitfalls and consider 
implementing some of the suggested strategies 
if you have already encountered these 
challenges. Also, to help diagnose a struggling 
partnership, please refer to Section 1, Tool 1: 
Unsticking Stuck Groups/Reassessing the 
Collaboration, in particular, items 1316 to 
assess expertise. 

Pitfall: 
Partners feel overwhelmed and the 
project is stuck. When partners do not 
identify all of the knowledge or skills that 
may be necessary to conduct the tasks that 
support the collaborations goals, partners 
may feel overwhelmed by tasks that they are 
not equipped to plan or carry out. As such, 
partners may put off or avoid these tasks and 
the collaboration gets stuck. 

Solutions: 
Partners can avoid feeling overwhelmed by 
developing an action plan during the early 
stages of the project and by revisiting the 
action plan as the collaboration progresses 
(see Section 10). Dont merely identify 
broad categories of skills or knowledge 
required for tasksbe specific. 

Feeling overwhelmed can be a temporary 
feeling if partners can obtain the missing 
skills and knowledge that are needed to 
perform the tasks. Brainstorm together to 
identify knowledge gaps or specific skills 
that are lacking. Refer to Tool 8: Expertise 
and Resource Inventory to determine if a 
partner already has the needed expertise. If 
not, seek training or information to build or 
acquire those skills. Another option is to 

Section 5: Expertise 

identify and recruit additional stakeholders 
who have those skills/knowledge, or hire 
someone to perform the task. Approaching 
nontraditional partners or stakeholders may 
yield essential expertisedo not overlook 
local schools, colleges, and universities; 
businesses; advocacy groups; or community 
service agencies. 

Pitfall: 
Partners do not want to attend 
collaboration meetings. If meetings do not 
result in decisions or are long or chaotic, 
partners likely will feel frustrated and that 
their time has been wasted. They will not be 
anxious to attend future meetings. The 
ability to organize and subsequently 
facilitate meetings is a skill that can be 
learned. However, when partners attempt to 
organize and conduct meetings without at 
least some basic knowledge about 
developing agendas that are appropriate to 
the time allocated, setting ground rules, or 
involving all meeting participants in 
discussions, the result can be lengthy, 
unproductive, and chaotic gatherings. 

Solutions: 
Review discussions in this section, in 
particular, Conducting Effective Meetings, 
Dos and Dont Tips for Facilitators, and 
Tips on How to Save a Meeting. Additional 
resources can be found in Learn More 
About It at the conclusion of this section. 

If the collaboration is addressing a very 
controversial issue about which participants 
must make a decision, consider hiring a 
neutral facilitator, who can ensure that the 
meeting is one where everyone is heard, and 
that discussion flows and stays on topic. A 
facilitator can help collaboration partners 
establish a consensus by guiding the 
processing of participant viewpoints. 

Collaboration Toolkit 7 


Tool 7 
Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

These worksheets will help to identify existing 
expertise among the partners in the 
collaboration as well as help fill gaps in the 
knowledge and skills necessary for successful 
implementation of the community policing 
project. 

Tool 7 

Expertise and ResourcesWhat 
Does the Collaborative Effort 
Need? 

The following questions are designed to guide 
you in identifying the expertise and means you 
need to accomplish your collaborative 
initiative. Answers to the questions will also 
point to areas that will require assistance from 
outside the current collaboration. Taking the 
time to complete this process on a regular basis 
will help you identify potential obstacles to 
success and direct your thinking to overcoming 
these obstacles. 

1. 
On the following chart, list the tasks that 
need to be completed and the timeframe 
for completion. 
2. 
For each task, answer the following 
questions: 


 
What expertise will it take to get this 
task done? 
 
Do we have this expertise within our 
collaboration? 


 
If YES, name the person (or 
persons) who can successfully take on 
this task. 
 
If NO, do we know someone 
outside the team who might help us? 
Who is the best person within the 
team to request the outside assistance? 
 
In addition to personal expertise, 
what else do we need to complete the 
task (e.g., time, money, people)? 
 
Are these resources available within 
the collaboration? If not, are there 
other ways to access what is needed? 
If not, do we need to modify our 
plan? 
 
What is our next step? 



Tool 7 
Collaboration Toolkit 9 


Tool 8 
Tool 8 

Expertise and Resource 
Inventory 

Each member of the collaboration has 
experiences, contacts, resources, and skills that 
will support the collaboration. Take the time to 
have each member of the group complete this 
expertise and resource inventory. Modify this 
form to fit your project. 


Expertise and Resource Inventory 
Tool 8 
Name: _______________________________________________________________________________ 
Af filiation (if appropriate): ________________________________________________________________ 
Phone: _______________________ Fax: ________________________ E-mail: ____________________ 
Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ 

(street ) (city ) (state ) (zip) 

1. Areas of Expertise. Please identify areas where you can help support the collaboration. 

. 
Administration/Computer . Speaking 
. 
Artistic/Creative Projects . Writing 
. 
Data Analysis . Evaluation 
. 
Fundraising . Member Recruitment 
. 
Facilitation . Planning Celebrations 
. 
Public Relations/Publicity . Other (Please be specific ) _____________ 


i Please list any government o ficials, media personalities, business owners, schoo f

2. Who s Missing? l 
board members, or others that you know and believe might support this project. (Please include contact 
information.) Also consider individuals who might not have the time to commit to ongoing work, but who 

fwould lend their support and influence or special circumstances. 

Name Organization Address Phone/Fax E-mail 
3. Time. Approximately how much time can you devote to this project over the next (6 months/year/schoo l 
year)? 

f

What is the best day or you to attend meetings? ______________________________________________ 
f _________________________________________________ 

What is the best time o day for you to meet? 

4. Specia Considerations.l f

 Do you have any special considerations that we should be aware o as we schedule 
f

meetings (e.g., preferred locations, childcare needs, access or persons with disabilities, other)? 

Thanks or be ng a part o th s co aborat ve commun ty po ff 

f i f i ll i i lici ng e ort. 

Collaboration Toolkit 11 


Tools 9 & 10 

Tool 9 
Guidelines for Brainstorming 

Brainstorming is based on the premise that 
two heads are better than one, and that three 
heads are better than two, and so forth. One 
of the primary benefits of brainstorming with 
a team is that each person will draw upon a 
different knowledge and experience base and 
therefore will be able to offer various options 
and solutions. 

 
Welcome all ideas. It is easier to tame 
an extremely innovative idea than to 
put life into an ordinary one. 
 
Encourage the team to strive for a 
large number of ideas and not worry 
about the quality of those ideas. 
Quantity leads to quality. 
 
Do not discuss or judge ideas. After 
the initial brainstorming, allow time 
for questions, clarification, and 
comment. If criticism occurs while 
ideas are being generated, the whole 
purpose of brainstorming is lost. 
 
Record all ideas on a flipchart. It may 
be helpful to have two notetakers to 
make sure that all ideas are captured 
quickly and accurately. 
 
Encourage the team to piggy-back 
on each others ideas. 


Tool 10 
Brainstorming Activities 

Sample Activity 1: 

Unstructured Brainstorming 

The time allocated for this activity can vary 
from 5 to 30 minutes, based on partners 
preferences and the complexity of the topic or 
question to be brainstormed. 

1. 
Select a facilitator. A facilitator should 
review the guidelines for brainstorming 
with the team. 
2. 
The facilitator, with the partners help, 
should set a specific time limit to 
brainstorm. (Most original and useful 
ideas tend to surface within 5 minutes.) 
Select a timekeeper. 
3. 
Open the floor for partners to offer ideas 
as they arise. 
4. 
When time is up, stop the process. The 
facilitator should give a 30 second 
warning so that team members have 
time to offer their last ideas. 
5. 
Review each idea separately and provide 
time for questions, clarification, and 
comment. 
6. 
The facilitator should help partners 
review the list, delete duplicates, and 
organize similar ideas into groups or 
themes. 
7. 
Use these ideas to make decisions about 
the topic or question that was 
brainstormed. 



Sample Activity 2: 

Round Robin 

This activity can take from 10 to 20 minutes, 
depending on how many ideas are offered. 

1. 
Select a facilitator. 
2. 
Arrange the seating so that everyone can 
see one anothereither around a table 
or in a circle. 
3. 
Review the guidelines for brainstorming 
with the team. 
4. 
The meeting facilitator states the topic 
or question for discussion. Ask another 
partner to restate the brainstorming topic 
or question. Make certain that the team 
agrees on the nuances of the topic or 
question. 
5. 
Record the agreed-upon topic or 
question on a chalkboard or flipchart 
make sure that all participants can see it. 
6. 
Now begin with a partner and ask that 
person to state his/her idea. The 
facilitator or notetaker should record that 
idea on the chalkboard or flipchart. 
7. 
Go around the circle, with each person 
offering an idea and the notetaker 
recording each idea (using the 
participants words, rather than trying to 
interpret or interrupt the process to gain 
clarification). 



Too 


8. 
When everyone has offered one idea, go 
around the circle again. Partners can 
pass if they have no new ideas to offer. 
9. 
End the process when everyone passes. 


10.The facilitator should help the partners 
review the list, delete duplicates, and 
organize similar ideas into groups. 

11. Use these ideas to make decisions about 
the topic or question that was 
brainstormed. 

Sample Activity 3: 

4 people-3 ideas-5 minutes6 

This activity can take approximately 20 to 25 
minutes, depending on how many partners are 
involved. 

1. 
Select a facilitator, who will review the 
guidelines for brainstorming with the 
team. 
2. 
Arrange the seating so that four partners 
are at one table. 
3. 
The meeting facilitator states the topic or 
question for discussion. Ask another 
partner to restate the topic or question to 
be brainstormed. Make certain that the 
team agrees on the nuances of the topic 
or question. 
4. 
Each person should write the topic or 
question on a piece of paper. (If multiple 
topics need to be brainstormed, different 
tables can brainstorm on different 
topics.) 


6 Adapted from: Schlicksupp. H. The 6-3-5 Method. In: Brasser, M. and 
Ritter, D. The Memory Jogger II: A Pocket Guide of Tools for Continuous 
Improvement and Effective Planning. Methuen, MA: Goal/QPC, 1994. 

Collaboration Toolkit 13 


5. 
The facilitator should inform 
participants that they have 5 minutes to 
list three ideas on their sheet of paper. 
6. 
After 5 minutes, the partners at a table 
give their paper to the person on their 
right. 
7. 
The facilitator tells participants that they 
have 5 minutes to read the ideas on the 
paper and list three more of their own 
ideas. This rotation process continues 
until all participants have recorded ideas 
on each paper at the table. 
8. 
The facilitator collects the papers and 
consolidates the ideas into one list that 
everyone can see (e.g., on a flipchart or 
blackboard). 
9. 
The facilitator should help participants 
review the list, delete duplicates, and 
group similar ideas. 


10.Use the ideas to make decisions about 
the topic or question that was 
brainstormed. 


Section 5: Expertise 

Learn More About It 

Facilitation 
Conducting Effective Meetings 

Quinlivan-Hall, D., and Renner, P. In Search Daniels, W. Orchestrating Powerful 
of Solutions: 60 Ways to Guide Your Regular Meetings: A Managers 
Problem-Solving Group. San Diego, CA: Complete Guide. San Diego, CA: 
Pfieffer and Company, 1994. Pfeiffer & Co, 1993. 

This useful and comprehensive guide can help This resource gives the manager or 
anyone who oversees meetings. Sixty different committee chair insight into conducting 
facilitation strategies are provided that focus on effective meetings. It describes the basics of 
creating the right meeting atmosphere, agenda meeting planning, provides step-by-step 
planning, time management, and action planning. guidelines to guide groups in their work, and 
Available for purchase at: www.amazon.com. includes exercises useful in training group 

members for effective participation in 
Rees, F. Facilitator Excellence: Helping meetings. Available for purchase at: 
People Work Creatively and Productively www.amazon.com. 
Together. Instructors Guide, Handbook, and Katz, S. N. Power Skills for Effective 
Skills Profile. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Meetings. Training & Development. 

Bass, 1998. 45:7 (July 1991). 
This is a complete workshop guide for managers and This article discusses strategies for 
employees on effective facilitation skills. It includes conducting productive and worthwhile 

an instructors guide, handbook, and profile. meetings. It identifies problems and solutions 
Available for purchase at: www.josseybass.com. for holding successful meetings and also 
includes a discussion on facilitation. This 
Schwarz, R. M. The Skilled Facilitator: journal article is available at university or 
Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective regional libraries. 
Groups. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 

1994. 
Tropman, J. E. and Mills, B. Effective 

This practical guide is for those charged with the Meetings: Improving Group Decision 
task of maximizing group performance through Making. 2nd edition, Newbury Park, 
facilitation. It discusses the skills needed to help CA: Sage Publications, 1996. 
groups reach their full potential. Topics include Targeting those in human services, this is an 
increasing employee commitment, company excellent resource for those who have 
flexibility, improving overall effectiveness of an ineffective and unproductive group meetings. 
organization, and facilitative leadership. Available It provides a comprehensive outline on how 

for purchase at: www.josseybass.com. 
to conduct an effective meeting by focusing 
on key areas: rules for effective group 
decision making, positions and roles for 
effective group decision making, different 
kinds of decision groups, and special topics. 
Available for purchase at: www.amazon.com. 

Collaboration Toolkit 15 



Teamwork Strategies 


In Section 6 
Tool 11: Lets String Along 

The Vision 

Collaboration partners have clearly defined 
their roles and responsibilities and have 
implemented specific strategies that 
encourage joint decision making, involve all 
partners in project activities, and reward 
partners for their work. 



Action Steps to 
Success 

One of the most important aspects of 
partnerships is that individual members bring 
different skills, interests, and perspectives to 
the shared vision. While not every member of 
the collaboration must work on every aspect 
of the community policing initiative, it is 
critical that all partners are informed, feel 
included, and have a sense of ownership of 
the entire effort. Power, responsibility, 
decision making, and credit are shared in a 
team effort. Responsibilities must be shared 
among the partners to build commitment and 
a sense of accomplishment. Based on the 
expertise inventory of the partners, regular, 
specific, and valued responsibilities and roles 
should be designated equitably. 

It is important to recognize that merely 
involving a group of individuals in an effort 
does not make that group a team. Equally 
important is an understanding that teamwork 
may not always seem like the most efficient 
means of achieving the goal, but it is likely to 
be the most effective. 

Consider Team as an acronym 

Together Everyone Achieves More. 

Teamwork Strategies 

The best method of overcoming 
obstacles is the team method. 

Colin Powell 

Step 1 
Ensure That All Partners 
Have a Part in 
Developing the Shared 
Vision and Common 
Goals. 

A jointly developed shared vision that 
incorporates all partners expectations for the 
project and that accommodates individual and 
organizational agendas is a good foundation for 
building a functional team that will collaborate 
to reach a common goal. 

Step 2 
Define Member Roles 
and Responsibilities. 

Defining and articulating roles and 
responsibilities demonstrates that the 
collaboration has carefully planned how 
partners can contribute to the success of the 
problem-solving initiative or other community 
policing project. Collaborations should define 
the roles and responsibilities of the lead agency, 
partners, committee chair, meeting facilitator, 
and members. For each of these roles, the 
collaboration should define: 

Collaboration Toolkit 1 


Section 6: Teamwork Strategies 

 
What does it mean to assume one of 
these roles? 
 
What am I responsible for if I take 
on this role? 
 
How long will I have to serve in 
that role? 


Developing a glossary of collaboration roles 
and responsibilities answers questions, 
defines relationships, and promotes 
individual and group accountability. Clear 
expectations allow members of the 
partnership to have the information they need 
to make informed decisions regarding 
participation. Moreover, clearly defined roles 
and responsibilities increase the likelihood 
that members will accept tasks that are 
reasonable and ensure that the action plan 
will be successfully implemented. 

Step 3 
Involve All Partners in 
Project Activities, 
Meetings, and 
Discussions. 

Whenever possible, try to schedule meetings 
so that all partners can attend. Develop 
mechanisms to inform partners of meeting 
minutes and decisions, especially those 
partners who were absent from a particular 
meeting. Maintain open communication and 
share decision making through consensus. At 
times, core partners may be tempted to make 
unilateral decisions or undertake tasks 
without team input or assistance, especially if 
these partners feel that not enough progress 
has been made. Developing a pattern of 
operating single-handedly, however, is a 
sure way of alienating partners and losing 
resources. 

Step 4 
Seek Commitment from 
Partners. 

Team leaders should seek commitment from 
partners to participate actively as a team in 
the collaboration. This commitment can be 
gained and sustained if core partners lead 
the team with consistency and integrity, 
respect the memberships diversity without 
attempting to change individuals, and if core 
partners strive to generate equal 
participation and meaningful contribution 
by all collaboration members. Core partners 
who use their influence to compel other 
partners to participate or concede to team 
decisions may achieve compliance, but they 
will not generate teamwork. 

Step 5 
Acknowledge and 
Reward Team Members. 

Ensure that all team members know how 
their individual efforts contribute to the 
teams effort and to the common goal. 
Acknowledge, credit, and support individual 
efforts as vital to the success of the 
collaborative initiative. Encourage all 
partners to continually share their individual 
contributions with the entire team. 

Collaboration Toolkit

2 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When developing and strengthening teamwork 
in a community policing collaboration, beware 
of the following pitfalls and consider 
implementing some of the suggested strategies 
if you have already encountered these 
challenges. Also, to help diagnose a struggling 
partnership, please refer to Section 1, Tool 1: 
Unsticking Stuck Groups/Reassessing the 
Collaboration, in particular items 1720, to 
assess teamwork. 

Pitfall: 

Partners work independently or 
sometimes at cross-purposes. This lack of 
cohesiveness may occur when 
partnerships are formed for 
administrative purposes, to comply with 
grant requirements, or as directed by upper-
level management or a political figure. 
Forced partnerships can produce animosity, 
a lack of ownership of the effort, or 
dysfunction. 

Solutions: 

The vision statement should be developed 
or redeveloped to allow partners to 
accomplish personal or organizational 
goals, as well as the team goal. To 
support the vision, however, partners must 
acknowledge interdependence and develop 
an action plan for achieving the vision 
through mutual support. 

In addition to a lack of commitment to a 
vision, another source of teamwork 
breakdown may be lack of trust. 
Implementing some of the suggestions 
found in Section 3, Trust (e.g., actively 

Section 6: Teamwork Strategies 

listening to all partners, communicating 
personally rather than by mass 
communication, developing ground rules 
that support respect for and involvement of 
all partners, and addressing conflicts prior 
to their breaking point), may help rebuild 
the team. 

Pitfall: 
Turf battles slow or stop project 
progress. When not operating as a 
cohesive unit working toward a common 
goal, partners can be distracted by 
individual or organizational priorities and 
roles. This happens when a partner feels 
that his/her organization should be 
responsible for a certain task or activity, 
and may result in a refusal to share 
information or resources, or even in 
conducting activities counterproductive to 
the project. 

Solutions: 
Clearly, jointly, and equitably designate 
roles and responsibilities while remaining 
open to redistributing these roles, if that 
benefits the vision. 

Rather than ignore conflict, address it. 
Refer to Tool 12: Tips on Conflict 
Resolution found in Section 7, Open 
Communication. 

Collaboration Toolkit 3 


Section 6: Teamwork Strategies 

Pitfall: 
The tone of meetings and interactions is 
negative, manipulative, directive, and/or 
secretive. 

Solutions: 
Use a trust-building/team-building activity 
such as a ropes course or facilitated exercise 
(see Tool 11: Lets String Along) as a 
springboard, moving a negative or 
disjointed group towards functioning as a 
productive team. Core partners should then 
review the principles of team leadership and 
avoid trying to control the team. 

Address conflict immediately and with an 
open mind, viewing the conflict as an 
opportunity for new ideas and creativity. 
Refer to Tips for Conflict Management in 
Section 7, Open Communication. 

Renew focus on team norms and ground 
rules. Emphasize and ensure joint decision-
making processes. Open brainstorming and 
joint decision making are essential 
components to teamwork and collaborative 
progress. 

4 Collaboration Toolkit 


Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

Tool 11 
Lets String Along7 


This is a team-building exercise that 
demonstrates the interdependency of the 
partnership. 


Directions: 

This exercise takes from 15 to 20 minutes and 
utilizes a facilitator or leader. The leader or 
facilitator starts by stressing that everyone 
depends on others. To illustrate this point, ask 
partners to indicate which members of the team 
they depend on. 

The first person (the leader can start, if a 
facilitator is not used) is given a ball of string. 
S/he picks out someone whom s/he relies on, 
and while holding onto the end of the string, 
throws the ball to that person and states the 
nature of the dependency. The person who just 
received the ball holds onto the strand of string 
and tosses the ball to another person upon 
whom the second person relies. Continue this 
process for as long as time permits or until all 
partners have been involved in the web. At 
the conclusion, repeat the initial pointall 
partners depend on or are tied to one another 
for this project to succeed. 

Tool 11 
Discussion: 

Untie the group and discuss the following 
questions: 

 
Even with the independent nature of 
some of the projects tasks, most of us 
still need others. Why? 
 
How did you choose the person to whom 
you tossed the ball of string? Could 
there have been others? 
 
Can you think of any situations in which 
we operate totally without support? 


7Scannell, E.E. and Newstrom, J.W. Still More Games Trainers Play: Experiential 
Learning Exercises. New York, NY: Mc-Graw Hill, Inc., 1991. 

Collaboration Toolkit 5 


Section 6: Teamwork Strategies 

Learn More About It 

Leadership Skills 

Covey, S. Principle-Centered 

Leadership. New York, NY: Simon 

and Schuster, 1992. 
This resource provides insight into facing 
daily challenges by employing the concept 
of principle-centered leadership. It includes 
information on the skill of developing 
people and organizations. This is a tool that 
shows the reader how to develop personal 
and professional relationships. Available for 
purchase at: www.amazon.com. 

Gardner, J.W. On Leadership. New 

York, NY: Free Press, 1993. 
Based on empirical research, this expert 
examines how leadership is practiced in the 
United States. It emphasizes creating a 
vision that builds on history as we look to 
the future. Available for purchase at: 
www.amazon.com. 

Moore, C. M. Group Techniques for 

Idea Building. 2nd ed. Newbury Park, 

CA: Sage Publications, 1987. 
Using a task-oriented approach, this guide 
helps small groups engage in idea 
development and explores how groups make 
choices. It provides comprehensive 
coverage of Interpretive Structural Modeling 
(ISM), a technique designed to help groups 
in the choice-making process. This is a 
resource for professionals in organizational 
behavior, management, and public 
administration. Available for purchase at: 
www.amazon.com. 

6 Collaboration Toolkit 


Open Communication 


In Section 7 

Tool 12: Tips for 
Conflict Management 


The Vision 

Partners hold regularly scheduled meetings, in 
addition to day-to-day communication. Partners 
share all information relevant to the collaboration 
without hesitation and are candid and honest in their 
communication with each other. Partners have 
defined topics they consider confidential and have 
developed a strategy to share appropriate 
confidential information. 


Open Communication 


Action Steps to 
Success 
Successful partnerships cannot function 
without open communication. Ongoing 
communication among partners enhances 
teamwork. Open communication that 
addresses problems and conflicts also builds 
(or helps reestablish) trust. Strategies to 
establish and maintain open communication 
include: 

Step 1 
Define Basic Terms, 
Acronyms, and Jargon. 


Using jargon, technical terms, or acronyms 
and assuming that all team members 
understand these terms can alienate important 
partners. Be certain to outline special terms or 
language in a non-condescending way for the 
whole group. 

Step 2 
Create a Norm That 
Encourages Ongoing 
Communication. 

An environment in which partners are 
encouraged to continually communicate with 
each other and where conflict resolution 

The greatest problem of 
communication is the illusion 
that it has been accomplished. 

George Bernard Shaw 

mechanisms are in place fosters information 
sharing and teamwork. Make certain to 
establish and adhere to regularly scheduled 
meetings among partners, but also 
implement ongoing informal 
communication. Let partners know that their 
opinions are valued and that they can 
articulate opinions, both positive and 
negative, without repercussion. Make use of 
technology to share information (e.g., fax, 
electronic bulletin boards, e-mail, 
networked data, and online discussion 
groups). Solicit feedback on collaboration 
work products. 

Step 3 


Practice Sound 
Communication Skills. 

Make certain that communication among 
partners involves listening, as well as 
speaking. Some effective listening strategies 
include: 

 
Try first to understand and second to 
be understood. 
 
Avoid prejudgingkeep an open 
mind. 
 
Maintain eye contact. 


Collaboration Toolkit 1 


 
Be aware of the messages you are 
sending and those being sent with body 
language, as nonverbal communication 
can be even more powerful than the 
spoken word. 
 
Respond with brief encouraging 
remarks (I see what you mean, Tell 
me more, Thats interesting, Oh 
really, etc.). 
 
Ask clarifying questions. 
 
Dont interrupt. 
 
Confirm your understanding by 
paraphrasing what you have heard. 


Step 4 
Create and Adhere to 
Guidelines on How to 
Address Conflicts. 

Conflict is a natural outcome of change that 
will invariably arise throughout the project, 
conflict can be channeled to improve project 
processes or outcomes. When conflict does 
arise, it may help if partners understand the 
various ways of addressing conflict, in order 
to assess their own behavior and make 
decisions to support the work of the team. 

Competition is a power-oriented mode in 
which one uses whatever seems appropriate 
to win ones own position. Power may be 
expressed through rank, argumentative 
expertise, or money. Competing may be used 
to defend a position that one believes is 
correct or simply to try to win. In this mode, 
one plays to win. 

Accommodation is the opposite of 
competition and means yielding to anothers 
point of view. In a group, accommodating 
individuals may succumb to pressure to make 
a decision by choosing not to insist on their 
point of view, and then disavow the group 
decision. 

Avoidance is when a person refuses to 
engage in conflict. Avoiding may take the 
form of diplomatically sidestepping an issue, 
postponing an issue until a better time, or 
simply withdrawing from a threatening 
situation. 

Compromise entails working to find some 
expedient, mutually acceptable solution that 
fully, or at least partially, satisfies both 
parties. Compromise may mean splitting the 
difference; exchanging concessions; or 
seeking a quick, middle ground position. A 
problem with the compromise style is that 
some individuals may give in too easily and 
fail to seek a solution with significant gains to 
either party. 

Collaboration means that a person asserts 
individual goals while also being concerned 
with the goals of others. Collaborating 
involves an attempt to work with others to 
find a solution that satisfies the concerns of 
all parties. Collaborating between two 
persons might take the form of: 

 
Exploring a disagreement to learn from 
each others insights. 
 
Working together to resolve some 
condition that might have the two 
parties competing for power. 
 
Confronting and trying to find a 
creative solution to an interpersonal 
problem.8 


When the team finds itself in conflict, try 
implementing Tool 12: Tips for Conflict 
Management. 

8 Thomas, K.W., and Kilman, R.H. Thomas-Kilman Conflict 
Mode Instrument. Tuxedo Park, NY: XICOM, 1974. 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When establishing open and ongoing 
communication in a community policing 
collaboration, try to avoid the following pitfalls 
and consider implementing some of the 
suggested strategies if you have already 
encountered these challenges. Also, to help 
diagnose a struggling partnership, please refer 
to Section 1, Tool 1: Unsticking Stuck Groups/ 
Reassessing the Collaboration, in particular 
items 2124, to assess communication. 

Pitfall: 

A small subset of partners is vocal during 
planning meetings, while others are quiet, 
reserved, or aloof. Meeting and 
brainstorming norms require that all 
partners have equal opportunity to 
participate. However, if some members do 
not utilize effective communication and 
listening strategies, other members may feel 
belittled or unimportant, or simply may not 
be able to get a word in. 

Solutions: 

Meeting ground rules must prohibit 
interruptions and criticism during 
brainstorming. The facilitator is responsible 
for enforcing these rules and redirecting 
unproductive conversations (see Section 3, 
Trust). 

Various brainstorming techniques can be 
utilized to solicit feedback from participants 
(see Section 5, Tool 10: Brainstorming 
Activities, for a description of unstructured 
brainstorming, round robin, and the 4 
people-3 ideas-5 minutes method). 

Section 7: Open Communication 

At the beginning of the partnership, define 
acronyms or technical terms. As new 
members join the team, review these 
acronyms and terms so that everyone is 
speaking the same language. 

Pitfall: 
A partner complains that some partners 
seem to be in the know while s/he is in 
the dark. While informal communication 
networks can be cost-effective and 
appropriate, informal communication alone 
cannot sustain the partnership. Some 
partners naturally will gravitate to one 
another on a personal level and may 
therefore inadvertently exclude other 
partners with less of a personal connection. 

Solutions: 
At the conclusion of each planning or 
brainstorming meeting, the recorder should 
summarize decisions and next steps and 
forward that information to all partners, 
whether or not they participated in the 
meeting. 

Partner meetings should be scheduled in 
advance. As a follow-up, written or e-mail 
notices should be sent to all partners. 

Create a Web site or electronic bulletin 
board and post pertinent information so that 
all partners may access it. 

Collaboration Toolkit 3 


Pitfall: 
Meetings often involve heated debates 
with little actual progress. Conflict that is 
not addressed directly may manifest itself 
during partner meetings. A partner may be 
so focused on getting his/her way, making 
his/her point, or even embarrassing another 
partner, that all partners are distracted. 
Conversely, conflict or miscommunication 
may stem from a lack of understanding of 
cultural issues among partners. 

Solutions: 
During the visioning meeting, the 
facilitator must help the team establish 
ground rules (see Section 3, Tool 3: 
Developing Team Norms). At each 
subsequent meeting, these rules should be 
visibly posted. The facilitator should refer 
to these rules at the beginning of the 
meeting and at points during the discussion 
to help ensure that they are observed. If an 
individual member repeatedly violates 
these rules, it is appropriate for the team 
leader to speak with him/her privately. 

At the visioning meeting, it is important 
for core partners to acknowledge that 
change often is difficult to accept and may 
produce conflict. The team should be 
provided with basic communication tips, as 
well as tips for conflict management (see 
Section 7, Tool 12). 

Issues of culture and diversity can begin to 
be addressed by discussing cross-cultural 
similarities and differences and by 
focusing on the groups common vision. 
Partners must be sensitive to and respect 
each other as they work together to achieve 
the common vision. Over time, mutually 
respectful behavior may grow into a better 
understanding and valuing of cultural 
differences. 

The team leader should review Tips for 
Conducting Effective Meetings and Tips on 
How to Save a Meeting in Section 5, 
Expertise. The team leader must 
communicate clear goals for the meeting 
and distribute an agenda that reflects these 
goals. If the team has a clear agenda, the 
facilitator has a tool to help keep the 
meeting on track. 

Pitfall: 
The general public or those outside the 
partnership are skeptical of the 
collaboration and what it is trying to 
accomplish. It is not unusual that when 
people do not have complete information, 
they will try to fill knowledge gaps with 
their own presumptions or creative 
reasoning. 

Solutions: 
When the partnership is forming and 
invitations to members are being developed, 
emphasize that invitees are welcome to 
include others. Clearly state the purpose of 
the collaboration in the initial invitation and 
in all other subsequent correspondence (see 
Section 4, Tool 5: Sample Invitation to a 
Meeting to Develop a Shared Vision). 

When the collaboration reaches a milestone, 
celebrate this achievement by letting others 
know about it (e.g., announce the event on 
the school loudspeakers, in the community 
newspaper, or at community meetings). 

Address skepticism with an information 
campaign. Do not avoid questions or 
criticism. Instead, use informational 
materials or presentations or even informal 
conversations to tactfully correct 
misunderstandings with facts. 


Tool 12 
Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 


Tool 12 

 Deal with both the content of the 
conflict and the relationship goals. 
Remember that the goal in most 
conflict resolution is twofoldto 
reach agreement and to enhance the 
relationship for future 
communication. Both are equally 
important. 
 Try to avoid polarizing into separate 
groups or positions too early in the 
negotiations. 
 Avoid reaching easy agreement of 
goals by premature voting, giving in 
too easily, or using chance measure 
(e.g., flipping a coin) when the issue 
demands more serious negotiation. 
 Avoid speaking in terms of winning 
and losing. Talk in terms of what is 
best for the common good (or 
common vision). 
 Sometimes participants in a conflict 
are too close to the situation to 
suggest more productive 
approaches. Know when to suggest 
or accept outside assistance. 
 Begin negotiating with the points of 
agreement instead of the points of 
disagreement. 
 Try to make choices available to the 
parties involved. 
 Be respectful and distinguish between 
guessing what a particular behavior 
means and the behavior itself. 
 Discriminate about when and how 
control is to be exercised. A low level of 
trust is usually generated when people 
always try to exercise power. Conflicts 
will likely emerge when trust is low. 
 Take responsibility for seeing each 
viewpoint and role in a conflict. If there 
is conflict, more than one person has a 
role in creating and supporting that 
conflict, even if that role is withdrawal. 
 State the goals of the conflict resolution 
in terms that are clear, specific, and 
achievable. 
9Tips for Conflict Management 
9 Adapted from: Wilmot, W.W., and Hacker J.L., Interpersonal 
Conflict, 6th ed. New York, NY:McGraw-Hill, 2000. 

Collaboration Toolkit 

5 


Learn More About It 

Negotiating Strategies 

Fisher, R., Patton, B., and Ury, W. 
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement 
Without Giving In. New York, NY: 
Houghton Mifflin, 1992. 

This resource focuses on creating a win-win 
situation in the negotiation process. Written 
by two experts in negotiation strategies from 
Harvard University, this publication is 
relevant at the personal as well as professional 
levels. Available for purchase at: 
www.amazon.com. 

Ury, W. Getting Past No: Negotiating 
Your Way from Confrontation to 
Cooperation. New York, NY: Bantam, 
1993. 

This resource discusses a five-step strategy 
for dealing with difficult people. It provides 
readers with useful information and advice on 
issues such as keeping calm under pressure, 
dealing with underhanded tactics, finding 
mutually agreeable options, and standing up 
for oneself without provoking opposition. 
Available for purchase at: www.amazon.com. 

Volkema, R. The Negotiation Toolkit: 
How to Get Exactly What You Want in 
Any Business or Personal Situation. 
New York, NY: AMACOM Books, 
American Management Association, 
1999. 

This is a comprehensive and practical guide to 
negotiating in personal and professional 
situations. It discusses the golden rule of 
negotiation, the three fundamental questions 
of negotiation, when not to negotiate, and the 
eight behaviors of star negotiators. Available 
for purchase at: www.amazon.com. 


Motivated Partners 



In Section 8 

Tool 13: Memorandum of 
Understanding Development 
Guidelines 

Tool 14: Sample Icebreaker/ 
Team Building Activity: The 
Human Spider Web 

Tool 15: Sample Icebreaker/ 
Inspiring Creativity and 
Problem-Solving 

The Vision 

Partners can articulate why they are 
committed to the collaboration and how 
their contributions foster the success of the 
collaborative effort. Partners indicate that 
their contributions are valued and are 
recognized by all stakeholders and the 
community at large. 


Action Steps to 
Success 

Along with a shared vision, expertise, open 
communication, teamwork, sufficient means, 
and an action plan, a successful collaboration 
will keep partners engaged and energized. 
Without motivators, partners will lose interest 
and the collaborative initiative will lose 
momentum. Motivators prevent apathy, keep 
the partners engaged, and sustain involvement. 

Individuals and organizations become and stay 
involved with the collaboration because they 
envision a personal or organizational benefit 
from engaging in the effort. Furthermore, 
individuals and organizations bring their own 
agendas to the community policing 
collaboration. Successful collaborations 
motivate partners in a variety of ways, 
including: 

 
Supporting individual and organizational 
agendas. 
 
Fostering personal relationships between 
partners. 
 
Developing formal agreements about the 
partnership purpose and structure. 


Motivated Partners 


I can live for two months on a 
good compliment. 

Mark Twain 

 
Providing opportunities for meaningful 
involvement. 
 
Instituting creative and fun processes for 
achieving outcomes. 
 
Showing appreciation. 
 
Achieving success. 


Step 1 
Learn Why Partners Have 
Joined the Partnership 
and What Organizational 
or Individual Agendas 
They Bring with Them. 

A successful collaboration will allow partners 
to verbalize their agendas during the visioning 
meeting and will develop ways for the various 
agendas to be metif they do not interfere 
with the needs and purpose of the 
collaboration. Partners must regularly make 
their needs known to one another, particularly 
as the collaboration evolves. Information 
sharing is critical to the partnership. 

Collaboration Toolkit 1 


Step 2 
Develop Personal 
Relationships Among 
Partners. 

Personal relationships among partners are an 
added incentive for sustaining the 
collaboration. Recognize that partners who 
have built meaningful relationships with one 
another will hold each other accountable. 

Step 3 
Formalize the 
Collaborative 
Relationship. 

Consider formalizing the collaborative 
relationship through a memorandum of 
understanding among the collaborations 
partners. This formal statement of purpose 
and roles will provide clarity to the partners 
and will demonstrate the importance of the 
continued participation of each organization 
and individual to achieve the collaborative 
goal (see Tool 13: Memorandum of 
Understanding Development Guidelines). 

Step 4 
Provide Opportunities 
for Meaningful 
Involvement. 

Another motivator for staying involved is 
that the involvement is meaningful. Always 
remember that people would rather feel 
needed than wanted. For example, if students 
are recruited to join a problem-solving 
collaboration, it is vital that they are equal 
partners who contribute to the shared vision, 
have equal power and responsibility, and 
assume substantial responsibility for successful 
completion of one or several aspects of the 
collaboration. Token participation does not 
further the collaboration. Partners need an 
opportunity to make a difference. 

Step 5 
Infuse Creative and Fun 
Ways to Achieve 
Outcomes. 

Think of ways to accomplish tasks while 
allowing team members to enjoy the process. 
Incorporate humor or team-building activities 
into otherwise uneventful meetings. Use the 
initiative as an opportunity to infuse creativity 
and out-of-the-box thinking among partners. 
During planning and work sessions, use 
processes (e.g., brainstorming) that allow 
participants to think freely and offer several 
different ideas in a short period of time (see 
Section 5, Tool 9: Guidelines for Brainstorming 
and Tool 10: Brainstorming Activities). 

Step 6 

Show Appreciation. 

Showing appreciation is a motivator that 
encourages continued participation and 
involvement. Remember: Praise is like 
champagneit is best served while still bubbly. 
In other words, do not delay rewarding good 
work. Some specific ways to show appreciation 
include: 

 
Incorporating appreciation as a regular 
part of each meeting agenda. 
 
Using the community or school 
newspaper to recognize jobswell 
done. 



Section 8: Motivated Partners 

 
Sending personal thank-you notes to 
acknowledge contributions. 
 
Always giving credit when credit is due. 
 
Acknowledging behavior that should be 
reinforced (e.g., youth recruitment, 
timely completion of tasks, etc.). 


Step 7 

Celebrate Success. 

Too often, partners are so serious about the 
tasks at hand or so focused on the ultimate goal 
that they forget to have fun and celebrate 
success. Even the smallest success is important 
when launching a new initiative. Celebrating 
an early success in the collaboration may help 
motivate the team to action and commitment. 
Changing the status quo demands patience and 
recognition that each small success contributes 
to the overall success of the collaboration. 
Celebrations may take the form of a party, 
meal, or a press release or other announcement 
to the community; or the success can be 
documented in a videotape, scrapbook, or 
newsletter, or through an award ceremony. 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When motivating partners to focused action 
and sustaining the momentum in a community 
policing collaboration, be careful to avoid the 
following pitfalls. Consider implementing 
some of the suggested strategies if you have 
already encountered these challenges. Also, to 
help diagnose a struggling partnership, please 
refer to Section 1, Tool 1: Unsticking Stuck 
Groups/Reassessing the Collaboration, in 
particular items 2528, to assess partner 
motivators. 

Pitfall: 

Progress may seem slow, or the 
collaboration seems to falter. Without 
incentives to work toward the shared vision, 
partners may become discouraged or 
prioritize other activities and commitments. 
It may become increasingly difficult to pull 
all partners together for a planning meeting 
or to obtain needed skills or resources. If 
this happens, overall progress will slow or 
stop because the collaboration requires the 
expertise of all of its members. 

Solutions: 

Publicize accomplishments. Use 
newsletters, flyers, e-mails, letters, or 
newspaper articles, as well as 
announcements over school loudspeakers or 
at community meetings, to announce 
partnership successes. Make sure to name 
partners that made particular contributions. 
When appropriate, core partners may 
acknowledge an individual partners help by 
writing a letter of appreciation to his/her 

Collaboration Toolkit 3 


supervisor/parents/chairperson/ 
constituency. Describe future activities and 
mention members who will be integral to 
accomplishing those next steps. 

Celebrate progress that has been made by 
organizing a group meal, organizing a 
social activity, or displaying graphical 
depictions of the progress. 

Brainstorm with the team about how to 
make being a partner an enjoyable 
experience. For example, consider 
changing the meeting location from an 
office or classroom to the local pizza shop 
or start meetings (particularly those with 
extensive agendas) with an icebreaker or 
warm-up activities (see Tool 14: Sample 
Icebreaker/Team Building Activity: The 
Human Spider Web). 

Pitfall: 
Some partners may begin to feel 
overwhelmed or like they are carrying 
the lions share. If personal agendas are 
ignored or trivialized, some partners may 
become less motivated to exert the effort 
required to sustain the collaboration and 
progress toward the goal. Subsequently, 
those whose needs are being met may find 
themselves taking on additional 
responsibilities to compensate for those 
partners who are dropping back. 

Solutions: 
The collaborations core partners or team 
leader should brainstorm with individual 
partners that seem to be withdrawing (or 
with the team as a whole) about the 
partnership vision, direction of the 
collaboration, roles of individual members, 
individual needs related to the project, who 
may be missing from the table, and 
training or resource needs. This discussion 
must be followed by action. For example, 
if the withdrawing individual is merely 
overcommitted, perhaps s/he can designate 
another organizational representative. If a 
subset of partners feels unprepared to 
perform some of the tasks, perhaps the 
team requires training. If a member does 
not feel that s/he is making a valuable 
contribution, assign an integral task to 
him/her. If the member does not 
understand how current collaboration 
activities will achieve the common vision, 
the team needs to make that link. 

Partners who are feeling overwhelmed or 
overworked may consider approaching 
another partner and asking for their help. It 
may be appropriate to acknowledge 
another partners specific expertise as 
being better suited for the task. 


Tools 13 & 



Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

Tool 13 

Memorandum of Understanding 
Development Guidelines 

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is a 
formal agreement among two or more parties. 
Its purpose is to define the roles and 
responsibilities of the individuals and 
organizational partners involved. 

At a minimum, the MOU must address: 

1. Goals and objectives of the partnership 

 
Vision statement. 
 
Desired outcomes. 


2. Organizational structure 

 
Management plan and style. 
 
Chain of decision-making authority/ 
responsibility. 
 
Procedures for resolving conflict. 
 
Confidentiality guidelines. 
 
Procedures and guidelines for 
involving new partners. 


3. Clear delineation of roles and 
responsibilities 


 
Substantive areas of primary 
responsibility and contribution. 
 
Management of financial resources. 


 
Information sharing. 
 
Supervisory responsibilities, as 
appropriate. 
 
Grant management, as appropriate. 
 
Evaluation. 


The MOU must be signed by all partners. 

Tool 14 

Sample Icebreaker/Team-
Building Activity: The Human 
Spider Web10 

This warm-up activity can be used to build and 
demonstrate teamwork. It takes approximately 
15 minutes. 

Directions: 

Select from six to eight individuals (or divide 
participants into groups of six to eight per 
group). 

1. 
Ask each group to stand in a circle. 
2. 
Each participant should extend his/her 
left hand to the person opposite him/her. 
3. 
Then, each participant should extend 
his/her right hand across the circle to a 
different individual. 
4. 
Now, each group races against the clock 
or another group to untangle the spider 
web without letting go of anyones 
hands. 
5. 
After concluding the exercise, discuss: 


 
What were participants feeling at the 
start of the exercise? 
 
What behaviors added or detracted 
from achieving the group goals? 
 
What lessons can be learned for team 
building? 


10 Adapted from: Scannell, E.E. and Newstrom, J.W. Still More Games Trainers Play: 
Experiential Learning Exercises. New York, NY: Mc-Graw Hill, Inc., 1991. 

Collaboration Toolkit 5 


Tool 15 

Sample Icebreaker/Inspiring 
Creativity and Problem-Solving 

This warm-up exercise works well in a 
brainstorming session. It takes approximately 5 
to 10 minutes. 

Directions: 

Distribute copies of the Brainteaser Exercise: 
Word Puzzle handout to all team members. 

1. 
Instruct team members to decipher the 
puzzle. Allow 5 minutes. 
2. 
Walk through the puzzle, allowing 
participants to offer their answers. 
3. 
List the correct answers on an overhead 
projector, chalkboard, or flipchart. 



Tool 15 
Collaboration Toolkit 7 


Answers: 

1. 
High IQ 
2. 
Lineup 
3. 
No excuse for it 
4. 
Youre under arrest 
5. 
J walking 
6. 
Forget it 
7. 
That is beside the point 
8. 
Water under the bridge 
9. 
Making ends meet 
10. 
Without a second glance 
11. 
Circular reasoning 
12. 
Balanced budget 
13. 
Getting it all together 
14. 
The good, the bad, the ugly 
15. 
Last, but not least 
16. 
Highway overpass 



Sufficient Means 


In Section 9 

Tool 16: Identifying 
Funding Resources and 
Options 


The Vision 

The collaborative effort is adequately staffed 
and has the financial or in-kind resources 
necessary to complete all the tasks essential for 
the collaboration to achieve its vision. Partners 
know how to access human, financial, and in-
kind resources if there is a need for additional 
resources. 


Action Steps to 
Success 
A successful collaboration must have 
sufficient means to conduct required tasks. 
Often, sufficient means are defined as 
financial resources. However, this toolkit 
also addresses human resources, time, in-
kind contributions, and financial 
resourcesall of which are necessary for a 
successful collaborative initiative. Every 
partner should contribute resources to the 
collaboration. Ideally, the contributions of 
one partner will not be vastly 
disproportionate to other partners, so as to 
avoid a sense of unequal ownership of the 
collaborative initiative. 

Step 1 
Build and Strengthen 
the Collaborations 
Human Resources. 

If trust is the heart of a collaboration, then 
the persons involved are both its spirit and 
its hands. Strategies for building and 
strengthening human resources include: 

 
Sharing leadership. 
 
Encouraging diversity. 


Sufficient Means 


Just because something doesnt do 
what you planned it to do doesnt 
mean it is useless. 

Thomas Edison 

 
Leveraging power and influence. 
 
Engaging youth. 
 
Organizing the team. 


Sharing Leadership. Successful 
collaborations most often operate by sharing 
leadership. One of the many benefits of 
working collaboratively is that sharing the 
responsibility of leadership utilizes the 
diverse leadership skills of partners and vests 
the success of the collaborative initiative in 
more than a single individual. Leadership 
requirements will vary as the collaboration 
progresses. Leaders know when they are not 
the best choice for a particular role or task. 
Leaders recognize their personal strengths as 
well as weaknesses and can gracefully decline 
opportunities (e.g., conducting meetings, 
public speaking, contact with media, or 
recruiting youth) that may be better suited to 
other partners. 

Shared leadership also helps the partnership 
avoid the pitfall of an initiative that is 
controlled or monopolized by one person. 
Collaborative leaders have: 

 
The ability to be a team builder. 
 
Time to devote to the task. 
 
Skill in the art of compromise. 
 
Commitment to the effort. 


Collaboration Toolkit 1 


 
Ability to assemble a team that can 
gather, analyze, and use data to address 
a community problem. 
 
Capacity to recruit and energize others 
for the collaborative effort. 
 
Understanding of the organizations 
involved and their roles in the 
community. 
 
Capacity to recognize a leadership 
position as a responsibility, not power. 


Encouraging Diversity. Intentionally 
addressing issues of diversity will increase the 
richness of the community policing effort. For 
purposes of this discussion, diversity includes 
age, basis of involvement/interest in the 
problem, occupation, role in the community, 
gender, race, culture, and ethnicity. 

While engaging a diverse group of partners 
may lead to heated discussions, different 
agendas, and moments of conflict, diversity 
also brings new perspectives, increased 
energy, creative possibilities, and enriched 
experiences for the collaboration. Differences 
of opinion can be a source of creativity, and the 
outcomes of the collaboration can be more 
powerful and longer lasting when the team 
involves individuals representing different 
professions, interests, ethnic groups, and ages. 
Thus, it is important to cast a wide net when 
attracting stakeholders to the collaboration (see 
Section 2, Tool 2: Identifying Stakeholders). 

When recruiting traditionally hard-to-reach 
individuals or organizations, take the time to 
assess the following: 

 
What preconceptions exist among 
current partners about these individuals/ 
organizations? 
 
Have collaboration leaders and current 
partners clearly communicated the 
various opportunities for involvement? 
 
Is involvement in the collaboration a 
new experience for the individual or 
organization? 


Example 11 Leadership Roles 

When a law enforcement agency receives a grant to partner with a school or a community-based organization, 
usually one officer is assigned to the project. Initially, this officer has a leadership role. How the officer shares 
this leadership often determines the fate of the project. The projects partner will also have an important 
leadership role. As the relationship between the primary partners is built, leadership responsibility should be 
negotiated. The original partners may work together as the project shepherdsthey are knowledgeable about 
the overall vision and goals of the project; they actively participate; and they motivate others to take a 
meaningful part in the effort. In law enforcement, this person is generally a line-level officer, deputy, or 
detective. S/he may be the person organizing meetings or events, disseminating meeting minutes or task 
timelines, and drumming up support for the project. 

Another important leadership role is that of project champion. This individual holds a policymaking position 
and can garner support for the collaborative initiative from the community or at an organizational level. Project 
champions may be the school principal, chief of police, president of the chamber of commerce, members of the 
school board, city managers, mayors, and leaders within faith communities. While project champions may not 
always be available to attend project meetings, it is critical to keep these individuals informed about and 
engaged in collaboration decisions and activities. Project champions can be valuable resources for developing 
and conducting information campaigns, gaining human and financial resources, providing public recognition 
or serving as a public liaison, and motivating participating partners. 


 What have been the previous 
partnership experiences of the hard-toreach individuals or organizations? For 
example, have previous community 
policing projects ignored or treated 
these individuals or organizations as 
token participants? 

The benefits of diversity are worth the time 
spent in reaching out and engaging previously 
uninvolved stakeholders. 

Engaging Youth. The art of involving youth 
in a partnership is primarily a matter of 
attitude. In 1989, William Lofquist challenged 
adults to move beyond seeing youth as 
objects or recipients of services and begin 
to work with them as resources available to 
contribute to planning and problem-solving 
efforts. More recently, the National 4-H 
Council has encouraged adults to work with 
youth as partners. Utilizing youth partners 
reflects the principle of mutuality in teaching 
and learning and acknowledges the power of 
youth in decision making. 

While youth are often identified as partners in 
school-based partnerships, every community 
collaborative effort should consider the value 
of involving youth partners. Young 
individuals often bring enthusiasm and 
available time to a partnership. Additionally, 
when youth participate in developing 
solutions to youth issues or problems, the 
likelihood of success is increased. (The last 
document in this toolkit is a case study of a 
successful collaboration to address disorder 
involving youth in Danvers, MA). 

Once the collaboration agrees that young 
people are an important resource and equal 
partners, the following tips can support youth 
involvement in the collaborative initiative: 

Section 9: Sufficient Means 

 
Involve youth early. When youth are 
involved in creating the vision, they are 
more likely to be involved in 
implementing the steps to reach the 
vision. 
 
Share leadership with youth while 
also clarifying levels of authority. 


 Provide meaningful roles for youth. 
Identify many age-appropriate ways in 
which youth can be involved in the 
initiative. Hold focus groups to solicit 
ideas from youth about their potential 
levels of involvement. 

 Empower youth by providing 
information. Also, thoroughly discuss 
with youth (and all partners) any 
confidentiality issues and 
consequences. 

 Build relationships with youth. 
Personally speak with youth about the 
community policing effort and the 
purpose of the collaboration. Get to 
know youth as individuals. Encourage 
opportunities for young people to be 
personally satisfied through their 
participation in the collaboration. 

 Let youth partners know that their 
ideas and participation are needed 
for the project to be successful. 
Outline why their help is so important. 

 Plan meetings at a time when youth 
participation is possible. Consider 
rotating meeting times to accommodate 
different constituencies. Elicit the 
support of school officials. Ask youth 
for input in determining the best 
meeting times. 

Collaboration Toolkit 3 


 
Avoid tokenism. Having one young 
person participate in the collaboration 
is not meaningful youth involvement. 
Just as one adult community member 
is not representative of all adults in the 
community, neither is one young 
person representative of all youth. 
Young persons are quick to realize 
when they are being used to promote a 
message, but are not really valued as a 
partner in decision making. Broader 
youth representation and involvement 
in decision making, power, and 
responsibility emphasizes that the 
collaboration truly values youth 
partnersrather than just trying to 
appear inclusive. 
 
Diversify youth involvement. Solicit 
participation from a broad sector of 
young personshonor roll students, 
those with disciplinary problems, 
students from minority organizations, 
and from faith-based organizations. 
 
Solicit youth partners opinions. One 
of the best ways to demonstrate 
respect for youth is to ask for and 
listen to their concerns, suggested 
solutions, and ideas. If the 
collaboration is having difficulty 
recruiting and sustaining youth 
involvement, ask youth what the 
collaboration could do to more 
effectively recruit and keep them 
involved. 
 
Maintain high expectations. Adults 
with predetermined low expectations 
for youth involvement can create a 
self-fulfilling prophecy. 


 
Be consistent and fair. Adult partners 
should serve as role models by 
demonstrating consistent and fair 
behavior to all collaboration partners. 
 
Develop a memorandum of 
understanding (see Section 8, Tool 13: 
Memorandum of Understanding 
Development Guidelines) that includes 
youth involvement in the community 
policing initiative. 
 
Provide ongoing incentives. As with 
adult members of the collaboration, 
partners need to develop specific 
strategies to sustain youth involvement. 


Many of these suggestions for involvement 
also can be applied to hard-to-reach 
constituencies other than youth. The ideas can 
be modified to address involving any group of 
people affected by the problem, namely the 
stakeholders. 

Step 2 
Leverage Power and 
Influence. 

A collaborative initiative will often reach a 
point when additional financial resources, 
publicity, or support from a certain 
constituency would make a significant 
difference in the projects success. This is the 
time to canvas partners for assistance in 
identifying elected officials, media 
personalities, business executives, or 
respected community leaders who could 
leverage their resources and influence to assist 
the collaboration. Too often, collaborations 
hesitate to ask for assistance, perhaps 
assuming that powerful or influential 
community leaders may be overextended and 
will not commit to yet another effort. 
However, supporting a well-planned problem


solving project or other community policing 
partnership may be of great interest and benefit 
for these persons, resulting in a valuable win-
win situation. 

Step 3 

Seek In-Kind Contributions. 

Although not difficult for organizations or 
individuals to donate, in-kind contributions can 
be an invaluable resource for the collaboration. 
Utilizing in-kind contributions (e.g., meeting 
space, postage, supplies, copying, telephone, 
food, etc.) will help maximize the 
collaborations financial resources. 

Step 4 
Identify the 
Collaborations Financial 
Needs; Develop and 
Implement Strategies to 
Secure Those Resources. 

The financial resources needed to implement 
collaborative projects will depend on the size 
and scope of the initiative. However, 
collaborations should identify sources of 
funding, both short- and long-term. Developing 
a shared vision and collaborating with a diverse 
group of partners can open a substantial 
network of potential financial support. While 
each community is unique, there tends to be 
several options that are most likely to help 
finance problem-solving and other community 
policing initiatives. These options include 
private foundations, local and regional 
corporate support, small business sponsorship, 
city and county budget allocations for law 
enforcement and school programs, fundraisers, 
and local and regional service organizations 
(e.g., Junior League, Lions Clubs, Rotary, 

Section 9: Sufficient Means 

Kiwanis). Use Tool 16: Identifying Funding 
Resources and Options to help structure your 
review of the collaborations current financial 
resources as well as future funding possibilities. 

Step 5 
Develop Realistic 
Estimates of How Much 
Time Partners Will Need 
to Contribute; Obtain 
Commitments from Every 
Partner. 

Time is a scarce resource to be utilized wisely. 
Collaborative efforts invariably require 
significant time from the partners (both law 
enforcement and community). Whether 
volunteered or paid for, time is a collaborations 
most valuable resource. Consequently, 
partnerships must: 

 
Clearly define expectations of all partners 
(whether paid or volunteer). 
 
Develop a timeline of milestones for each 
task in the action plan. 
 
Develop mechanisms for using meeting 
time wisely (see Conducting Effective 
Meetings, in Section 5). 
 
Carefully allocate tasks among all 
partners to utilize available human 
resources most effectively and equitably. 
 
Respect each individuals time and 
personal circumstances. 


Tool 7: Expertise and ResourcesWhat Does 
the Collaborative Effort Need? and Tool 8: 
Expertise and Resources Inventory (see Section 
5) will help guide collaborations in planning for 
and dealing with time issues. 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When seeking and establishing sufficient 
means to perform the tasks in a community 
policing collaboration, avoid the following 
pitfalls. Consider implementing some of the 
suggested strategies if you have already 
encountered these challenges. Also, to help 
diagnose a struggling partnership, please refer 
to Section 1, Tool 1: Unsticking Stuck Groups/ 
Reassessing the Collaboration, in particular 
items 2932, to assess the means. 

Pitfall: 

Partners are frustrated and discouraged 
and begin to doubt that the 
collaborations goals and vision can be 
achieved. When a collaborative effort lacks 
the time, financial, in-kind, or human 
resources necessary to implement its action 
plan, partners will become discouraged. 
Subsequently, they will be less motivated to 
participate and contributecreating a 
cyclical problem. 

Solutions: 

This may be an appropriate time to 
reconsider the shared vision. The partners 
may have been overly ambitious in their 
vision and may need to narrow the scope of 
the effort. Partners may decide that they will 
agree to set another, more ambitious goal, 
once the newly revised goal has been 
reached. 

In addition to redefining the vision, consider 
reassessing who needs to be involved in the 
collaboration. As the collaboration 
progresses and tasks become more clearly 
defined, conserve existing resources (or 
provide some relief for overcommitted 
resources) by adding partners (including 
youth). Do not hesitate to ask current and 
new partners whether additional in-kind 
resources may be available to support the 
collaboration. 

Pitfall: 

Some partners may feelburned out. 

If there are too few individuals involved in 
the collaboration to accomplish the amount 
of work to be done, partners may feel 
drained and burned out. 

Solutions: 
If only one or two individuals are burned 
out, this may be because they have 
assumed too much responsibility. Review 
Section 6, Teamwork Strategies, which 
emphasizes that partners take equal 
ownership of the initiative. 

Reassess the time commitments necessary 
to complete the tasks. Perhaps during the 
planning phase, the partners underestimated 
what would be required or the time 
available to work on partnership activities. 
Some organizational partners may be able to 
assign a replacement representative who has 
more time, or they may assign tasks across 
more staff. When establishing task timelines 
for the initiative, partners should account for 
other personal and professional 
commitments, thereby minimizing over 
commitment from some partners. 

It is good practice to always be amenable to 
new partners. Expand the stakeholder list 
(see Section 2, Tool 2: Identifying 
Stakeholders). 


Section 9: Sufficient Means 

Pitfall: 
The project requires resources that are 
unavailable. If the collaboration failed to 
outline a strategy for achieving 
collaboration goals and subsequently did not 
brainstorm about resources required, 
partners may find themselves without the 
skills, people, expertise, time, or funding 
required to continue. 

Solutions: 
Partners must develop, record, and refer to 
an action plan that not only includes 
resource requirements and sources, but also 
strategies for acquiring these resources. The 
action plan should be revised as project 
tasks are modified or partner membership 
changes. 

Use Tool 7: Expertise and Resources 
What Does the Collaborative Effort Need? 
(Section 5) to organize discussions or 
brainstorming about resources. Use Tool 8: 
the Expertise and Resource Inventory 
(Section 5) to determine what partner 
resources or expertise may be available and 
underutilized. 

Host a fundraising event, approach new 
stakeholders who have access to needed 
resources, request in-kind contributions, or 
research other funding sources (e.g., 
foundations). 

Collaboration Toolkit 7 


Tool 16 
Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 

Tool 16 

Identifying Funding Resources and 
Options 

Directions: 

1. 
Identify the tasks to be completed. 
2. 
For each task, identify: 


 
Amount and source of available 
funding. 
 
Amount of funding shortfalls and 
gaps in resources. 
 
Potential sources from which to 
obtain additional resources. 
 
Contact information for potential 
sources of funding. 



Tool 16 
Collaboration Toolkit 9 


Learn More About It 

Youth and Collaboration 

Innovation Center for Community and Dryfoos, J. Evaluation of Community 
Youth Development. At the Table: Schools: An Early Look. Washington, DC: 
Resource Catalog. Chevy Chase, MD: Coalition for Community Schools, n.d. 

National 4-H Council, 2000. This program brief provides testament to school-
This resource includes a list of workshops, videos, based partnerships. It discusses how such 
books, curricula, and other resources from partnerships have reduced teen pregnancy, 
organizations that are forerunners in youth substance abuse, and disruptive classroom 
governance. Included are organizations such as the behavior. Also discussed are gains in math and 

Points of Light Foundation and Innovation Center reading scores. This document is free-of-charge. 
for Community and Youth Development, a Available at: www.communityschools.org. 
division of the National 4-H Council. Available at: 

Hammiller, R. E. and Capper, C.A. The

www.fourhcouncil.edu/cyd. 

Principals Role in Neighborhood-Based 
Innovation Center for Community and Interagency Collaboration: A Peripheral 

Youth Development. Building Community: and Flexible Link, (ED 378637), 1994. 

A Toolkit for Youth and Adults in Charting This professional paper is based on a research 

study of a collaborative effort among police,
Assets and Creating Change. Chevy Chase, social services, schools, and public health in aMD: National 4-H Council, 2000. large Midwestern city. The results show that 

This guide for facilitators includes information on principals were receptive and supportive of the 
youth-adult partnerships and creating a community project even though they were excluded from the 
vision. It provides a practical discussion of formative process. The authors discuss the 
developing and carrying out a plan. Available for principals role in interagency collaboration. This 
purchase at: www.fourhcouncil.edu/cyd. Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) 

document is available at university and regional

Innovation Center for Community and 

libraries housing ERIC documents.

Youth Development. Creating Youth/Adult 
Partnerships. Chevy Chase, MD: National Posner, M. Working Together for Youth: 


4-H Council, 2000. A Guide to Collaboration Between Law 
This training curriculum targets youth-only Enforcement Agencies and Programs thatgroups, adult-only groups, and youth/adult groups. 

Serve Runaway and Homeless Youth,

It also includes activities. Available for purchase 

at: www.fourhcouncil.edu/cyd. (ED388915), 1994. 
This paper discusses the collaborative process 
between law enforcement and social service 
agencies targeting runaway and homeless youth. 
Appendices serve as a useful reference guide for 
other literature regarding interagency 
collaboration, organizations, and evaluation 
resources. This ERIC document is available at 
university and regional libraries housing ERIC 
documents. 


Section 9: Sufficient Means 

Relevant Organizations 

Zeldin, S., McDaniel, A. K., Topitzes, D., Center for Youth as Resources (CYAR) 
and Calvert, M.. Youth in Decision-Making: National Headquarters 
A Study of the Impacts of Youth on Adults 1000 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. 
and Organizations. Madison, WI: 12th Floor 
University of Wisconsin, 2000. Washington, DC 20036 

This publication describes the findings from 

(202) 785-0698

interviews with 15 organizations and communities 
within which youth have decision-making roles. E-mail: yar@ncpc.org 
Available at: www.fourhcouncil.edu/cyd. www.yar.org 


CYAR provides training and program information 
Zimmer, J. Police-School Partnerships. to organizations involved with youth-led 
(ED344793), 1988. community service efforts and youth-adult 

This publication discusses the validity of law partnerships in governance. 
enforcement and police officers in the classroom Coalition for Community Schools
and the unique dynamic that they bring to the 


1001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.

curriculum. This resource provides guidelines for 
field trips and role-playing. It also includes Suite 310 
examples of other resources available to those Washington, DC 20036 
interested in involving law enforcement 


(202) 822-8405

professionals in the classroom. This ERIC 
document is available at university and regional www.communityschools.org 


libraries housing ERIC documents. 
This organization is dedicated to improving 
education and helping students by building 
partnerships. Community schools bring together 
many partners to offer opportunities to children, 
youth, families, and communities. 

Communities In Schools, Inc. 
National Office 
277 S. Washington Street 
Suite 210 
Alexandria, VA 22314 

(703) 519-8999 

(800) CIS-4KID (800-247-4543) 
www.cisnet.org 
This organizations mission focuses on connecting 

community resources with schools to help young 
people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. 

Collaboration Toolkit 11 



Learn More About It (continued) 

The Heartland Center for Leadership National Civic League 
Development (formerly Program for Community Problem-
Work Group on Health Promotion and Solving) 
Community Development 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. 
University of Kansas Suite 600 
4082 Dole Center Washington, DC 20004 
1000 Sunnyside Avenue (202) 626-3183 
Lawrence, KS 66045-7555 www.ncl.org 

(785) 
864-0533 This organization is dedicated to helping community 
(785) 
864-5281 fax leaders get things done. This organization offers 


support through training in facilitation, training,
ToolBox@ukans.edu coaching and lectures, multi-stakeholder 
http://ctb.ukans.edu collaboratives, community driven decision-making 

The University of Kansas Community Toolbox processes, and analytical research. 
includes information and resources relevant to 


National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)

community development in Lawrence (KS) and 
Amherst (MA). Several how to sections 1000 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. 
provide information on community health and 13th Floor 
development. It also includes sections on 


Washington, DC 20036

leadership, strategic planning, community 

(202) 466-6272

assessment, advocacy, grant writing, and 
evaluation. (202) 296-1356 fax 


Innovation Center for Community and www.ncpc.org 

NCPCs mission is to enable individuals to createYouth Development safer and more caring communities by addressing the 
National 4-H Council causes of crime and violence and reducing 
7100 Connecticut Ave opportunities for crime to occur. The NCPC Web site 
Chevy Chase, MD 20815 posts helpful links and publications. 

(301) 
961-2837 National 4-H Council 
(301) 
961-2831 fax 7100 Connecticut Avenue 
E-mail: info@theinnovationcenter.org Chevy Chase, MD 20815 
www.fourhcouncil.edu/cyd (301) 961-2961 


This is an excellent site for resources and (800) Four-H-DC (800-368-7432) 
publications related to youth/adult partnerships. 


www.fourhcouncil.edu 

They offer publications and training and 
National 4-H Councils mission is to advance the 4-Htechnical assistance. The Web site provides 
youth development movement to build a world incontact information for other youth advocate 
which youth and adults learn, grow, and workorganizations, as well as links to E-mail 
together as catalysts for positive change.

discussion groups. 


Section 9: Sufficient Means 

National Youth Development Information 
Center (NYDIC) 
National Collaboration for Youth 
1319 F Street N.W. 
Suite 601 
Washington, DC 20004 

(877) NYDIC-4-U 

(202) 393-4517 fax 
E-mail: info@nydic.org 
www.nydic.org 

NYDIC supports community programs designed to 
employ a youth development approach to delivering 
services. These programs strive to build the 
competencies necessary for young people to become 
successful adults. The Web site provides links to 
youth organizations and publications. 

National Youth Network 
National Crime Prevention Council 
1000 Connecticut Ave., N.W. 
13th Floor 
Washington, DC 20036 

(202) 466-6272 
www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/getinvolved 
The National Youth Network focuses on bringing 

together youth and adults to promote nonviolent 
community activism and youth-adult partnerships. 

Points of Light Foundation 
1400 Eye Street, N.W. 
Suite 800 
Washington, DC 20005 

(202) 
729-8000 
(202) 
729-8100 fax 
E-mail: youth@pointsoflight.org 
www.pointsoflight.org 


This foundation focuses on raising awareness and 
advocating for the engagement of youth in 
community problem-solving through training, 
technical assistance, publications, and programs. 

Collaboration Toolkit 13 



Action Plan 


In Section 10 
Tool 17: Evaluation Tips 


The Vision 

Collaboration partners have a clear and 
consistent understanding of the project 
vision and goals. They also know what 
strategies they plan to implement to reach 
these goals, which partners are responsible 
for specific tasks and when they should be 
completed, what resources will be needed 
and how they will be acquired, and how the 
partnership activities/projects will be 
evaluated. 


Action Steps to 
Success 

The final element of successful 
collaborations is the action plan. The 
partnership may have a shared vision, 
necessary expertise, open communication, 
teamwork, motivators in place to 
encourage recruitment and sustain 
involvement of partners, and the means to 
accomplish their goals. Without an action 
plan, however, the collaboration will have 
unfocused achievements and will not 
accomplish desired objectives. 

The action plan is the mechanism by which 
the shared vision is operationalized. It is a 
working document that is designed to guide 
the collaboration. The action plan describes 
strategies to meet specific objectives of the 
problem-solving project or other 
community policing initiative, and the 
action plan delineates the steps to bring 
about the envisioned change. The action 
plan specifies WHAT will be done, by 
WHOM, and WHEN. The plan also 
describes HOW the partnership will know 

Action Plan 

Vision without action is a 
daydream. Action without vision 
is a nightmare. 

Japanese proverb 

if actions taken achieve desired outcomes. For 
each objective of the effort, the action plan 
should describe: 

 
What specific activity/task should occur. 
 
Who will be responsible for the task. 
 
The timeframe for accomplishing the 
task/when the action will take place. 
 
What resources will be needed to 
accomplish the task and how those 
resources will be acquired. 
 
Who will know when the task is 
completed. 
 
How the effectiveness of the strategy 
will be assessed. 


This toolkit intentionally does not include a 
sample action plan form that can be duplicated. 
Too often, when such a form is provided, 
partners struggle to fit information into every 
section of the form, rather than design a 
method/form that captures information relevant 
to their action plan. Because each collaboration 
is unique, each action plan is unique as well. 

Collaboration Toolkit 1 


Section 10: Action Plan 

Step 1 
Convene a Meeting (or 
Series of Meetings) to 
Make Team Decisions 
Regarding the Action 
Plan. 

At the meeting, the partners should designate a 
notetaker who will record team decisions. The 
team should agree on: 

 
The vision statement developed during 
the visioning meeting. 
 
Goals for achieving the vision statement. 
 
Specific strategies to accomplish those 
goals. 
 
Who is responsible for each task and the 
timeline associated with the task. 
 
Who will be notified when a task has 
been completed. 
 
What resources are needed to complete 
the task. 
 
Sources of funding and support (e.g., in-
kind contributions, volunteer resources, 
etc). 
 
Who will seek, collect, compile, and 
oversee the resources. 
 
How the project will be evaluated. 


Step 2 
Write Down and 
Distribute the Plan for 
Partners Review. 

Include the essential elements of an action plan 
as you design a plan that is owned by and 
useful to your initiative. A complete action plan 
will contain the following elements: 

 
Cover Page: Include the name of the 
collaboration, list the partners, and 
specify the timeframe allotted for 
completion of the project. 
 
Acknowledgments: List other 
stakeholders that have made 
contributions to the effort. 
 
Vision Statement: Present the vision 
statement (developed by the partners and 
stakeholders) on the first page of the 
action plan. Printing the vision statement 
at the beginning of the action plan serves 
as a reminder to the team that the goals 
and strategies must lead to the shared 
vision. 
 
Goals: Present clear goal statements 
with measurable outcomes. If you want 
to change behavior, ask, What is the 
desired increase or decrease in the 
behavior you are seeking to change? 
For each goal, develop a separate plan 
that delineates the strategies you choose 
to accomplish each goal. 
 
Strategies: Describe the steps you are 
going to take to accomplish the 
collaborations goals. Strategies give 
overall direction and advance the teams 
goals and vision. 


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Collaboration Toolkit 


 
Responsibility Chart: List who 
(individual or group) is responsible for 
each strategy (or part of a strategy). A 
responsibility chart also specifies 
timeframes for completing tasks and 
who will be notified when the task is 
completed. 
 
Resource Allocation: Note what 
resources (people, time, or funds) are 
necessary to complete each task. 
Completing this step in the action plan 
provides the team with information 
necessary to budget resources, seek 
more resources for the project, or rethink 
the scope and breadth of the goals. 
 
Assessment: Develop a plan to evaluate 
both the process and the outcome of the 
strategies. Assessment addresses the 
questions, Are we doing what we said 
we would do? and Are we 
accomplishing the intended results? 
Assess the process used to address the 
strategies. Compare the outcomes with 
stated goals (see Tool 17: Evaluation 
Tips). 


Once the plan is written, distribute it to all 
partners for review, comment, and revision, as 
needed. 

Section 10: Action Plan 

Step 3 
Incorporate Any 
Changes That Partners 
Recommend and 
Agree On. 

Be certain to disseminate a final working copy 
of the action plan to all partners. Make certain 
that partners realize that this is a working 
document that can (and should) be continually 
revised by the collaboration as the project 
evolves. Partners should proactively and 
periodically review the plan for necessary 
modifications to ensure that proposed action 
steps are consistent with desired outcomes. 

Step 4 

Use the Action Plan. 

An action plan is necessary to guide the team. 
Refer to the action plan on a regular basis as a 
reminder of the collaborations vision and 
goals and to check progress against the 
timeline, hold partners accountable to tasks, 
make certain that resources needed for tasks 
are available, and to plan future meetings or 
activities. Utilizing the action plan strengthens 
the collaboration. Without an action plan, there 
will be a lack of focus. 

Example 12 Outcome Measures 

If the issue being addressed is theft from vehicles in the student parking lot, some outcome measures 
may include: 

 
A reduction in the number of reported thefts from vehicles in the student parking lot. 
 
A reduction in the monetary loss to victims associated with thefts from vehicles in the student 
parking lot. 
 
An increased awareness among students who use the student parking lot of target hardening 
measures (e.g., locking the doors, not leaving purses or bags in plain view, removing face plates 
for car stereo systems, parking in high visibility areas, vehicle alarm systems). 


Collaboration Toolkit 3 


Section 10: Action Plan 


Avoiding the 
Pitfalls 

When developing and implementing the action 
plan for the community policing collaboration, 
try to avoid the following pitfalls. Consider 
implementing some of the suggested strategies 
if you have already encountered these 
challenges. Also, to help diagnose a struggling 
partnership, please refer to Section 1, Tool 1: 
Unsticking Stuck Groups/Reassessing the 
Collaboration, in particular items 3336, to 
assess your action plan. 

Pitfall: 

Tasks are not completed or become 
delayed. If partners do not know who is 
assigned to various tasks or what comes 
next, tasks will not be implemented. Also, if 
partners do not hold one another 
accountable for completing tasks on time, 
other personal and professional priorities 
may take precedence, causing the project to 
be delayed. 

Solutions: 

Begin each meeting by reviewing tasks that 
were to be completed since the previous 
meeting. End each meeting with next 
steps and make sure everyone knows who 
will be performing those tasks, and when 
the tasks must be completed. 

If a partner consistently fails to complete 
tasks or complete tasks on time, one of the 
core partners should speak privately with 
that partner to determine issues and 
brainstorm on short- or long-term solutions. 

Pitfall: 
Partners are skeptical about project 
evaluation. When partners do not 
understand that one important purpose of 
project evaluation is to be able to know 
when goals are met and demonstrate that 
success to others (e.g., supervisors, 
community members, constituency, or 
potential funding agencies), they may be 
skeptical or view project evaluation 
negatively. 

Solution: 
As part of the action plan, partners should 
jointly develop measurable goals and agree 
to an evaluation strategy. All team members 
should review Tool 17: Evaluation Tips to 
better understand why evaluation is 
important and to dispel fears about 
evaluation. 

4 

Collaboration Toolkit 


Too 



Tools to Plan 
and Chart Your 
Progress 


Tool 17 

data? What types of protections can 
be put into place, particularly for 
individual-level data for which 
names or identifying information 
are linked? How will the data be 
stored and for how long? 
. What is the level of resources 
required to collect the information? 
Is that a reasonable and available 
cost, given the benefit of capturing 
the particular measure? 
. Who can assist with data collection 
efforts (e.g., partners, including 
students; local researchers; etc.)? 
Who has the necessary expertise to 
guide the evaluation? 
 Collect baseline information before 
beginning the project. These data can 
then be compared with outcome data at 
the conclusion of the project. 
 Capture process measures so that if 
outcome measures do not show an 
improvement in the issue or problem, 
you can revisit the steps taken to 
achieve the vision and determine what 
may have gone wrong. 
 Consider with whom, when, how, and 
whether the evaluation findings will be 
shared. Measures collected throughout 
the project may also be used to redirect 
project activities, if needed. 
 Set measurable, realistic goals 
before beginning the project. These 
goals should be outcome-oriented 
and directly linked to the project 
vision (see Example 12). Partners 
should jointly determine the 
measures, which should be 
multifaceted and take into 
consideration the information needs 
of the team, as well as individual 
members. 
 In addition to establishing these 
measures, determine how the 
information will be collected and 
analyzed. Some factors to consider 
include: 
. How long after implementing the 
strategy do you expect to see 
results? Is that consistent with the 
timeline(s) of the partnership or 
members needs for the outcome 
information? 
. What is the population and unit 
of analysis? 
. Do you have access to (or will 
you be able to obtain access to) 
the information required? 
. What confidentiality issues must 
be addressed when collecting the 
Evaluation Tips 
Collaboration Toolkit 

5