Shared Understanding in Collaborative Governance

The complex nature of public problems portends various perspectives on the rudiments, with the shared understanding needed as a conduit to creating the synergy for collective action. Cross-sector stakeholders’ shared knowledge based on negotiating the various interests, interpretations, positionalities, and versions of workable solutions allows for constructive pathways regarding collaborative process-related engagements and attendant outputs and outcomes. Stakeholders collective shared understanding of what constitutes the problem, agreed strategic measures to address it as reflective of common resolve, willingness to learn, and aligning values and desires in ways that will translate into categories of services to target populations with associated benefits to society are essential. The reality of stakeholders’ engagement in addressing a complex public problem is, in some instances, constrained by fallible theories or concepts of elemental components. Still, the eventual development of clear goals and objectives set the stage for collective forward implementation actions for the greater good. This chapter details shared understanding as one of the collaborative process variables relevant to establishing collaborative governance and the relentless pursuit of an agreed mission for collective impact. The chapter identifies some elements associated with shared understanding with reflective practical cases and a model to promote conceptual understanding. It concludes with hypothetical concepts relative to the subject matter to encourage innovation in the joint creation of meanings and relevant solutions.