Strategic Collaboration

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Many human and social development projects involve complex challenges, with multiple stakeholders representing various, sometimes competing, interests. These challenges can seem difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements. This course focuses on how to resolve complex challenges, which impact all sectors and often result in protracted and entrenched conflicts. Expanding upon the traditional view of conflict and development, this course introduces a framework for thinking about setting joint goals, enhancing communication and forming strategies across disciplinary and technical sectors and ideological boundaries. Cross-sector collaboration between governments, non-governmental organizations, communities and citizens is necessary in order to form solutions for complex challenges, where typical intervention strategies are not appropriate. This course is an introduction to the theory, design and strategic management of cross-sector collaboration to address complex challenges. Based on evidence from well-established developed-country research and practice, focusing on the professor’s developing-country formative research, the course is built for students working with or in government, non-profit or community organizations and seeking creative means to achieve more in depth and sustainable results.