Black Swans, Icebergs, and Pandemics: Drawing on Collective Impact and Systems Thinking for State-Level Change

• In Event: Disrupting Systemic Inequities

Abstract

Wicked problems such as the broken early care and education system need collaborative solutions. Diverse stakeholders across a Midwestern state came together in the COVID-19 pandemic to increase alignment and access while increasing equity. The purpose of this study is to understand how the pandemic offered Midwestern stakeholders an opening to break through traditional barriers to shift a system through the lens of two frameworks, collective impact and systems thinking. Three research questions guided how collaborative theoretical frameworks guided stakeholders in their work. Each framework is considered individually, and then examined for overlapping interpretations. Using documents from state-level meetings, major themes are described with examples. Implications for those pursuing collaborative work reforming systems and informing policy are proffered.

Authors

• Amanda Leigh Garrett, Buffett Early Childhood Institute

• Cama Charlet, Buffett Early Childhood Institute

• Kate Sutton, Buffett Early Childhood Institute