The Collaborative Action Model:
A Framework for Moving Collaborative Work from Possibility to Impact
Collaboration isn't one conversation. It isn't a strategic planning retreat. It isn't a steering committee. It isn't a memorandum of understanding.
Collaboration is a process.
Whether organizations are exploring shared services, launching a cross-sector partnership, forming a regional alliance, or building a collective impact initiative, successful collaboration unfolds over time. It asks people to make sense of a shared opportunity, make difficult choices together, build the structures needed to support the work, navigate inevitable challenges, and continually learn along the way.
Too often, organizations rush ahead before laying that foundation.
They begin making decisions before they've listened deeply. They launch initiatives before clarifying roles. They implement ambitious plans without the infrastructure needed to sustain them. Then they wonder why momentum fades or why promising collaborations never quite live up to their potential.
That's why I developed the Collaborative Action Model.
Introducing the Collaborative Action Model
The Collaborative Action Model is a five-phase framework that helps leaders design collaborative initiatives with intention and clarity to build momentum. Rather than treating collaboration as a single event, it recognizes collaboration for what it is: a journey that unfolds through a series of distinct, interconnected phases.
Collaboration Is a Process
One of the biggest mistakes I see is treating collaboration as though everyone is asking the same question at the same time.
They're not.
Early in a collaboration, the most important question is, What could we do?
Later, it becomes, What should we do?
Only after that does it make sense to ask, How will we do it?
And even once the work is underway, the questions continue to evolve.
Each phase of the Collaborative Action Model prepares the group for what comes next.
The Five Phases of the Collaborative Action Model
Phase 1: What Could We Do?
Every successful collaboration begins with curiosity.
Before deciding what to do, leaders need to understand the landscape. What are people experiencing? What needs aren't being met? Where are the opportunities? What concerns need to be addressed?
This phase emphasizes thoughtful discovery through stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and other listening strategies. The goal isn't to build consensus. It's to build understanding.
Good collaboration begins with good listening.
Phase 2: What Should We Do?
Discovery naturally gives rise to possibilities.
But not every good idea is the right one.
Phase 2 of the Collaborative Action Model is about making meaning of what was learned, identifying areas of alignment, weighing opportunities against shared criteria, and developing a clear direction for the work ahead.
This is where groups move from an expansive conversation about what could happen to a focused conversation about what is truly worth doing together.
Phase 3: How Will We Do It?
Once a shared direction has emerged, it's time to build the architecture that will support the work.
This includes establishing working groups, clarifying roles and decision-making, creating governance structures, developing project plans, and putting in place the people, tools, and processes that will allow the collaboration to thrive.
These aren't administrative details.
They're the infrastructure that allows ambitious collaborative work to succeed.
Phase 4: Do It.
This is where collaboration becomes real.
Plans meet competing priorities. Timelines shift. New opportunities emerge. Partners change roles. Unexpected challenges arise.
The work during this phase isn't simply to execute the plan. It's to sustain momentum, keep partners engaged, adapt thoughtfully when circumstances change, and continue moving toward the shared purpose.
As I often tell audiences: Collaboration is hard—but it's how hard things get done.
Phase 5: How'd We Do?
Strong collaborations make time to pause.
They ask whether the work is creating the intended impact. They examine whether participating organizations are still receiving value. They pay attention not only to project outcomes, but also to the health of the collaborative relationships themselves.
Perhaps most importantly, they use what they learn to improve the work moving forward.
Why Sequence Matters
The Collaborative Action Model isn't simply a checklist.
It's a sequence.
Each phase creates the conditions needed for the next. When organizations begin with careful discovery, they're better positioned to make thoughtful decisions.
When decisions are clear, designing the collaboration becomes easier. When the infrastructure is strong, implementation is more likely to succeed. And when collaborators regularly reflect on what's working—and what isn't—they're able to strengthen both the work and the relationships over time.
Designed for Complex Collaboration
I've used the Collaborative Action Model with foundations, nonprofits, higher education institutions, cross-sector partnerships, professional associations, and networks tackling complex challenges that no single organization could solve alone.
While every collaboration is unique, the questions leaders must answer are remarkably consistent.
The Collaborative Action Model offers a practical roadmap for navigating those questions—helping collaborative efforts move from possibility to purposeful action, and from purposeful action to lasting impact.
If you're designing a collaborative initiative—or helping others do the same—the Collaborative Action Model provides a shared language, a practical structure, and a roadmap for moving important work forward, together.
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