| In recent years, community change efforts have taken on new approaches to collaborating to address complex problems. Several of these approaches, systemic action research, network action research, and collective impact, use similar strategies to promote collaboration. They are discussed here as networked community change efforts (NCC). While these approaches have been implemented widely, there has been limited empirical work examining the extent to which they yield efficient networks for information sharing among stakeholders. In this analysis, I employ agent-based modeling (ABM) to examine these approaches under ideal and practical conditions. I first created an ABM to demonstrate the extent to which NCCs are efficient under ideal conditions. This model indicated that NCCs could successfully create networks to efficiently share information. Next, I conducted a qualitative content analysis of published accounts of NCCs focusing to evaluate the challenges that occur during implementation. Four key themes emerged from this analysis, suggesting that challenges in NCCs include: unsuccessful organizers, non-homophilous stakeholders, stakeholder turnover, and stakeholder power dynamics. Finally, I created a refined model, integrating the challenges from the qualitative analysis to understand efficiency under practical conditions. This model indicates that each of these problems poses a threat to creating efficient networks. In the future, stakeholders working in NCCs should consider the role these challenges might play and plan to adapt their efforts accordingly. |
