The PARTNER Technical Manual partnered with the PARTNER software provides a tool for public health collaboratives to measure and monitor collaborative activity over time.
Resources
These files and links are resources that are helpful in learning about the PARTNER tool and the research behind it.
Respondent Information Worksheet
Use this spreadsheet to upload all of your respondent information. When you have it completely filled out, delete the first row, save it as a text file, and then log in to your PARTNER manager section and click on the “List People/Orgs”. Follow the instructions to upload this information.
PARTNER Survey Questions
The questions that make up the PARTNER survey are listed in this spreadsheet. Some of the questions are modifiable, and some are not. Column B in the spreadsheet lists whether the questions are modifiable. Some will say “no” in this column only because the responses are required to match the responses in the previous questions (for example, #6 depends on #5). Questions #11 and #12 are the “relational” questions, those that you will ask partners to respond to about the other partners in your collaborative. It is important to think through what you want to ask for these two questions and make them fit your collaborative. Before moving on to other parts of using the PARTNER tool, you should spend time thinking through these questions and determining how to modify them for your collaborative. Once you have personalized this spreadsheet, you can input these questions in the PARTNER survey under the “Define Survey” tab.
PARTNER Tool Webinar
If you can not make it to one of the live PARTNER demos, you can download this PARTNER Webinar. The Webinar is in WRF format and requires a special player. You can use the AT&T Meeting Service Player or the Cisco WebEx Player to view this Webinar. Also available below are slides in one per page and three per page versions.
Core Dimensions of Connectivity in Public Health Collaboratives
To learn more about the principles behind PARTNER, take a look at the recent publication in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (Varda et al. 2008).
Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving
by Valdis Krebs and June Holley
Communities are built on connections. Better connections usually provide better opportunities. But, what are better connections, and how do they lead to more effective and productive communities? How do we build connected communities that create, and take advantage of, opportunities in their region or marketplace? How does success emerge from the complex interactions within communities? This paper investigates building sustainable communities through improving their connectivity – internally and externally – using network ties to create economic opportunities. Improved connectivity is created through an iterative process of knowing the network and knitting the network.
Monitoring and Measuring Connectivity in Public Health Collaboratives with PARTNER
This presentation outlines the motivation for using PARTNER, demonstrates the way PARTNER works, and the kinds of results you can expect by using PARTNER.
Using Network Data to Implement Strategic Collaborative Management Strategies.
Once you have collected network data, there are many ways to use it including describing the connectivity among your partners, taking stock of available resources and how they are exchanged, considering how to connect and leverage valuable partners, and identifying gaps and vulnerable points with the network. All of this information can be used as a strategic thinking exercise with your collaborative and a way to develop action steps for where to go next with the group. This presentation is a summary example of using data to practice strategic collaborative management.
PARTNER Simulation
In this simulation, the network theory and Social Network Analysis (SNA) are applied to examine the organizational networks in public health partnerships. SNA and network theory is applied to operationalize a set of measurable dimensions that can be used to evaluate the strength of PHCs and the connections (or connectivity) among partner organizations. Connectivity is defined as the measured interactions between partners in a collaborative such as the amount and quality of interactions, and how these relationships might change over time. The simulation has a brief overview of SNA to allow students to become familiar with the concept and language. However, the readings from the “recommended reading” list below can help students get familiar and prepare to participate in this simulation.
Learn More About Social Network Analysis
You can learn more about Social Network Analysis through the following resources: