SCALE+ methodology

Formulate a common agenda

Creating a common agenda prepares stakeholders identified through mapping activities for committing to collective actions. The project’s Systems Integration (SI) Team facilitates strategic planning meetings with diverse stakeholder groups to steer them away from conflict and disagreement and set their focus on their common interests. When applying SCALE+ in optimum conditions, the project convenes a stakeholder-engagement event called a Whole-System-in-the-Room (WSR) retreat that gathers individuals identified and nominated during the mapping component. SCALE+ experts lead participants through 16 hours of self-managed exercises, jumpstarting the process of catalyzing coalitions and partnerships in order to commit to shared goals, catalyze coalitions, and determine pathways to system transformation.

Commit to shared goals  

SCALE+ uses the Future Search WSR technique to help diverse stakeholders find their common ground and commit to collective actions. The WSR is a collaborative event that convenes approximately 64 to 100 participants representing eight to 10 relevant sectors and diverse perspectives. The two- or three-day retreat stimulates safe discussion about the development challenge and leads participants through self-managed exercises in which they determine their common goals and commit to collaborative actions. The agreed-upon goals and the pledged actions become essential elements of the project’s work plan.  

Catalyze coalitions  

Establishing common goals allows stakeholders to understand their responsibilities within the system, identify where coordination and synergy are possible, and invest their time and resources more fully in collaborative actions to support shared priorities. Stating intentions in a forum in front of peers to resist working in silos and commit to collective work provides incentive for everyone to remain accountable. After the WSR retreat, voluntary collaborative action circles and task forces are formed around the identified goals.  

Determine pathways to transformation  

The SI Team handles many of the partnership coordination tasks. As the system’s broker, it remains “neutral” while facilitating meetings and catalyzing coalitions among competitive stakeholders representing diverse interests and agendas. The SI Team maintains contact on a regular basis with all stakeholders and assists them in organizing meetings and events, sharing information, and remaining focused on their commitments and pathways to transformation. Sharing and publicizing the fulfillment of these promises helps maintain collective enthusiasm and momentum.