Collective Impact: A Review of the Peer-reviewed Research

ABSTRACT

Collective Impact (CI) is a framework for collaborative social change that has gained considerable attention over the past seven years. In this article we review the peer-reviewed academic research on the CI framework to understand what is known about its use. Nineteen articles were located. We identified four themes in the research: A need to adapt CI to the specific context, its technical nature, the importance of relationships, and concerns about power and equity. The literature on the CI framework is in its infancy and as such tends to focus on capacity building or model development. Whilst CI promotes important discussion about collaboration and social change, issues of power, equity and grass-roots engagement require further attention.

IMPLICATIONS

• Peer reviewed academic research on the application of CI is at an early stage and further research is needed.

• Social workers should carefully consider critiques of CI before adopting this framework for social change.

过去七年里，合作性社会变迁受到了相当的关注，“集体影响”成为其概念框架。本文考察了对集体影响框架的、经同行评审的学术研究，以理解其应用的情况。这些研究有四个主题：集体影响概念与具体情境相结合的必要性；其技术本质；关系的重要性；对权力和公平的关注。有关集体影响的文献尚在滥觞阶段，因而更侧重于能力的建设或模式的开发。集体影响的概念促进了协作与社会变迁的重要讨论，而权力、公平以及草根参与等话题则需要进一步的关注。

KEYWORDS:

• Collective Impact
• Literature Review
• Community

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.