Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community:
Community Partnerships
Module 3

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Elements of Success

Handout 1: Dangerous Sandtraps¹

Overview
All collaboratives experience challenges. Some are inevitable, while others are dangerous sand traps that can be avoided by alert collaborative partners. Below are some common sand traps to avoid, or act upon if they appear.

Organizational. Organizational sand traps include:

• Deciding not to begin until all stakeholders are at the table;
  
• Failing to set clear ground rules;
  
• Losing sight of the collaborative's purpose and mission;
  
• Choosing unattainable goals;
  
• Trying to handle too many issues or actions at once;
  
• Inadequate resources for carrying out plans;
  
• Adverse community relations or media attention;
  
• Not stopping to evaluate, reflect, and celebrate; or
  
• Not acknowledging or avoiding conflict.

Leadership. Leadership sand traps include:

• Trying to maintain control by resisting power-sharing or shared decision-making;
  
• Allowing political pressure or individual partner self-interests to drive the collaborative;
  
• Lack of shared leadership;
  
• Not involving consumers, direct services staff, and policy-makers in critical decisions;
  
• Becoming too dependent on one or two partners to keep the collaborative going; or
  
• Unrealistic expectations or demands.

Membership. Potential sand traps surrounding a collaborative's membership include:

• Attempting to act before partners establish a sense of trust and ownership in a shared vision;
  
• Frequent turnover in partners or membership organizations;
  
• Unequal distribution of work or recognition of members.;
  
• Not taking the time to involve opponents, who could easily block what the collaborative's mission or goals;
  
• Failing to recognize an individual partner's needs or self-interests; or
  
• Turf battles or power struggles among partners.

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¹Adapted from Atelia Melaville and Martin Blank with Gelareh Asayesh, Together We Can: A Guide for Crafting a Profamily System of Education and Human Services (Washington: D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Education and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 1993).

Handouts

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