Multisectoral collaboration

Multisectoral collaboration involves multiple sectors and stakeholders intentionally working together in a managed process to achieve shared outcomes and goals. Examples of different sectors are the public sector, private sector, civil society, academia and media. Stakeholders can be individuals or organisations with a stake in the issue. They influence, or are influenced by, the problem and solutions. Multisectoral collaboration is essential for addressing complex or 'wicked' problems.

Sustainable health challenges are complex “wicked problems” requiring multisectoral engagement that leverages combined knowledge and resources for better outcomes. Coordinated efforts transcend borders, remove policy barriers, scale up solutions, and amplify impact across sectors and countries.

Multisectoral collaboration requires identifying and engaging stakeholders to define a shared goal. Stakeholders must recognize the problem, and the need for collaboration. The steps of execute and monitor and evaluate will provide valuable insights on how best to multisectoral collaboration can be implemented for intended results.

This tool is relevant for persons in Government Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Academic and Research Institutions, Community Organizations, Civil Society Groups as all these entities need inclusive and multidisciplinary approaches to solve increasing complex sustainable development challenges for which working in silos nolonger suffice.

The Toolkit

Our toolkit builds on several previous frameworks for multisector and multilevel collaboration proposed by Kuruvilla et al. 2018 and Mahlangu et al. 2019.

This toolkit consists of a 4-step process. We have expanded on the four steps, providing additional resources and supportive tools to help you achieve the goals outlined in each step.

The four steps, crucial for effective collaboration, move forward dynamically. The arrows emphasise the iterative nature of multisectoral collaboration, involving continuous learning and adjustment throughout the process. Below, we introduce the four steps and offer you the opportunity to delve deeper.

Having identified a problem you need to solve in a multisectoral way, it is time to convene stakeholders to obtain buy-in, jointly define the problem and agree on goals and how to attain them. These processes are important and should be consultative, allow for iteration and involve all stakeholders.


SHORTLISTED TOOLS

  • 1.1 Stakeholder mapping/analysis: Using stakeholder matrix, this tool guides on types of stakeholders and how to tailor communications, engagement activities, frequency. Helps set priorities & opportunities, identify leverage and key logical actions (6 min read)
  • 1.2 Jointly define the problem: This tools emphasizes systems thinking as key to solve wicked problems (4 minute read).
  • 1.3 Jointly define the goals/objectives: This suggests that define the goals/objectives of the initiatives need to be done jointly with input from the stakeholders (4 minute read).
  • 1.4 Jointly agree on how to achieve the goals: All decisions to be implemented should be decided upon by majority stakeholders to increase chance of positive outcomes (3 minute read).

Back to overview

Having convened stakeholders and jointly defined the problem, goal and how to achieve it, it is necessary to agree on its structure, leadership, mechanisms and processes, and administration of the multisectoral collaboration. These structures are essential in the day-to-day functioning of the collaboration and ensuring its effectiveness.


SHORTLISTED TOOLS

Back to overview

Here the collaboration implements activities and actions as per the agreed work plan within the available resources. This process, although challenging, is very critical to the success of the collaboration. Execution of the collaboration is anchored in good coordination, and constant reflection and learning are key in supporting the execution of tasks.


SHORTLISTED TOOLS

  • 3.1 Ensure clear coordination: This tool describes coordination and its importance. Provides a coordination resource by Nalanda Open University (2 minute read).
  • 3.2 Reflect, learn and adapt: This tool provides a link to resources for reflect from University of Edinburgh including the 5R framework for reflection, the Context, Action, Results and Learning (CARL) framework of reflection, the four Fs of active reviewing, Gibbs reflective cycle and many others (2 minute read).
  • 3.3 Build and sustain relationship: Using a resource by University of Kansas, this tool emphasizes the importance of building and sustaining relationships for a future collaboration (1 minute read).

Back to overview

Monitoring is a continuous process during collaboration. Together with evaluation at different stages, it helps to take stock of whether the collaboration has been effective and the potential explanatory factors. These lessons should be used to adapt the collaboration and improve its efficiency and effectiveness.


SHORTLISTED TOOLS

  • 4.1 Comprehensively evaluate the collaboration: This tool highlights the need to learn successes and failures to improve collaboration, and provides resources such as Research to Action by CESH, WIG’s collaboration playbook and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, USA. The latter provides elements of collaboration to evaluate, and how evaluation data can be gathered (2 minute read).
  • 4.2 Disseminate and share feedback: This tool highlights the importance of disseminating successes and failures to stakeholders to generate appropriate solutions that will enhance collaboration. It provides a resource about disseminating evaluation results which entails key considerations for effectively sharing evaluation findings (1 minute read).

Back to overview


Operated by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden
and Makerere University in Uganda