1. Tools to Support you Boundary Spanning Leadership Practice
March 14, 2019

2. Warming Up
Let’s get warmed up by practicing with one of the zoom features we’ll be using during our webinar today – the chat feature.
Use the chat feature to answer the question:
Name something that captured your attention on your way out of your home this morning.

3. What we will cover in the next hour . . .
Review of the Boundary Spanning Leadership Model
Demonstrate the BSL Digital Toolkit
Provide some options for applying BSL Practices
You will receive a copy of this slide deck

4. How have you applied what you learned about either Direction, Alignment, and Commitment or Boundary Spanning Leadership in your work as a community health strategist?

5. If you have not applied anything yet, what has gotten in the way?

6. Leadership
Leadership is a social process that enables people to work together as a cohesive group to produce collective results.

7. Leadership

8. Boundary Spanning Leadership
A definition:
Boundary Spanning Leadership is the capability to create direction, alignment, and commitment across boundaries in service of a higher vision or goal.*
*Yip, J., Ernst, C., & Campbell, M. (2009). Boundary Spanning Leadership: Mission critical perspectives from the executive suite. A Center for Creative Leadership Organizational Leadership White Paper.

9. Boundary Spanning Leadership

10. The Five Boundaries Horizontal Vertical Stakeholder Geographic
across levels & authority
Vertical
across functions & expertise
Horizontal
across markets & distance
Geographic
across external groups & interests
Stakeholder
Demographic
across diverse groups & differences

11. Three Universal Strategies
Managing Boundaries
Taps into the power of differentiation — autonomy, prioritization, role clarity, and accountabilities
Forging
Common Ground
Taps into the power of integration — joint action, common goals, unity of purpose
Discovering New Frontiers
Taps into the power of innovation — the location where diverse expertise and experience intersects

12. Twin Forces: Three Strategies
Managing Boundaries
Discovering New Frontiers
Differentiate
Forging
Common Ground
Integrate

13. Six Boundary Spanning Practices: Tactics Create DAC Across Boundaries
Creates Safety
BUFFERING
Fosters Respect
REFLECTING
Builds Trust
CONNECTING
Fosters Community
MOBILIZING
Advances Interdependence
WEAVING
Enables Reinvention
TRANSFORMING
Managing
Boundaries
Forging
Common Ground
Discovering
New Frontiers

14. Collective Impact and BSL
Five Conditions of Collective Impact Success
Leadership Outcomes
BSL Strategies
A Common Agenda
Direction and Commitment
Buffering, Reflecting, Connecting, and Mobilizing
Shared Measurement
Alignment
Buffering, Connecting and Weaving
Mutually Reinforcing Activities
Direction and Alignment
Buffering, Reflecting, Connecting, Mobilizing
Continuous Communication
Direction, Alignment and Commitment
Reflecting and Connecting
A Backbone Organization
Weaving and Transforming

15. Boundary Spanning Leadership Digital Toolkit
Digital toolkit has been used by many leaders over the last five years
Platform has now been upgraded
You are the first group using the new platform
There are bound to be bugs
We need your help by answering a survey later this Spring
You will receive an from CCL in the next 24 hours with the link and initial sign in information

16. Applying the Toolkit to your Work
Assessing
Planning and Practicing
Implementing tools

17. Start planning by diagnosing where your group is re: Boundary Spanning Leadership process
Has each agency/organization represented already done a good job of Buffering?
How has Reflecting happened among members—does each member have a solid understanding of the values, agenda, non-negotiables of the other members’ agencies?
What about Connecting? Does trust exist between all groups involved?

18. Diagnostic Tools to use:
BSL Assessment Tool (in workbook from the workshop); or
On Digital Toolkit on the introduction page
Decide who from your group should complete the assessment:
Leadership Team only?
Full Membership?
Complete Assessment individually and tabulate/share results and discuss where the work needs to start.

19. One-hour meeting options
If you are starting at Buffering:
Give people pre-work to do before meeting (Boundary Defining Conversations tool ) related to the shared work the group intends to do…
Then at the meeting (times will likely need adjusting):
Time
Activity
2-3 mins
Opening Comments from Meeting Organizer—share agenda for meeting
20-30 mins
REFLECTING: Have each coalition member spend 1-2 minutes each sharing highlights from their boundary defining conversations (have someone record this info) NOTE: can get creative with how it is shared in the meeting – e.g. each org rep could bring a one-page slide that highlights their highest priorities/ values/non-negotiables related to the shared work of the coalition. Those can be hung around the room and the group can do a “gallery walk around the room” to hear about each org.
10-15 mins
CONNECTING: Use any of the tools in digital toolkit, but a simple variation on the Memento Tool could be the Visual Explorer tool—have everyone select an image that illustrates how they view effective collaboration; or that connects to their personal passion for the shared work you are doing. Then have people share their images and explanations in small groups or with whole group if time.
10-20 mins
MOBILIZING: Depending on how much time you have left:
If only 10 minutes—have the group complete the DAC assessment tool individually and then draw the DAC three circle/venn diagram on a flip chart of white board and have people note which area they gave lowest and highest score. This will be jumping off point to next meeting. OR
If you have 20 minutes left—you could begin using Slogans tool to have each group member do the individual work and submit it to the meeting organizer for it to all be shared in some visual way for discussion at next meeting.
2 mins
Reminder of next meeting time and tee up what will happen next

20. 90-minute meeting options
If you are starting at Buffering:
Time
Activity
3 mins
Opening Comments from Meeting Organizer—share agenda for meeting
45 mins
BUFFERING: Use Team Blueprint tool (team chartering tool) to create roles and responsibilities and expectations for how coalition team members will engage in the shared work. These discussions can include short summaries of what each organization brings to the group as a means to determining what roles each org will play. You can do this in small groups if it is a large group and then have each group present their blueprint draft to rest of coalition. Then members can use dot-voting tool on favorite elements of each option to create one shared option.
20 mins
REFLECTING: Use After-Action Review tool to have the group process the Team Blueprint discussion. It will help establish this reflective practice in the coalition and allow you to continue learning from the process and how you can improve. Do this in small groups.
CONNECTING: Use Walk and Talk: Members are given thought provoking questions to get to know each other better. As a result of building a stronger foundation, trust increases among the team members and they will be able to work together better.
2 mins
Reminder of next meeting time and tee up what will happen next

21. One-hour meeting options
If you are starting at Mobilizing:
Time
Activity
2-3 mins
Opening Comments from Meeting Organizer—share agenda for meeting
45-50 mins
MOBILIZING: Use the Movie Making Tool to have group (in small groups if necessary) create visions for future/ideal outcomes of group’s work. This can be the basis for the group’s shared direction. You could also use the DAC assessment tool first and dot voting to share individual assessment results. Then engage in movie making for creating shared direction or use World Café to allow people to discuss ideal direction/outcomes of the group’s work.
5-7 mins
Use Stop Reflect Write tool to allow members to reflect on movie-making and/or world café process re: shared sense of direction.

22. 90-minute meeting options
If you are starting at Mobilizing:
Time
Activity
3 mins
Opening Comments from Meeting Organizer—share agenda for meeting
45-50 mins
MOBILIZING: Use the Movie Making Tool to have coalition (in small groups if necessary) create visions for future/ideal outcomes of coalition’s work. This can be the basis for the coalition’s shared direction. You could also use the DAC assessment tool first and dot voting to share individual assessment results. Then engage in movie making for creating shared direction or use World Café to allow people to discuss and determine ideal direction/outcomes of the coalition’s work.
30-40 mins
WEAVING: In small groups, use the Weaving Activity tool (which we did in class) to have each agency share assets they have to contribute to shared direction. Have each small group report out and have someone catalog/record all organizational assets and ideas generated for future discussion on work plans.
2 mins
Reminder of next meeting time and tee up what will happen next

23. Boundary Spanning Leadership Digital Toolkit Demo

24. Questions. Contact Andi at williamsa@ccl
Questions? Contact Andi at Also, if you have any great recs for Whitefish and Glacier NP I would appreciate them!