Collective Impact and Human Wellbeing

Balances fundamental theoretical elements in CI initiatives and practical case examplesSituates the Collective Impact framework within a systems thinking perspectiveFits within the UN's Sustainable Development Goals

This open access book presents key concepts, approaches, and applications of the Collective Impact (CI) framework to enhance human and societal wellbeing. The authors analyse the special nature of CI and its role in providing common ground for trust-based, mutually informed service delivery of publicly or semi-publicly funded and implemented services to identify competencies and administrative arrangements as well as leadership and practical skills required for successful CI practice. Moreover, this book also positions CI initiatives within a systems thinking perspective, which suggests that one can only understand a system by looking at how all the parts interact with each other and how they are integrated. This book balances fundamental theoretical elements in CI initiatives and practical case examples from Finland, and helps managers and practitioners master the art of putting together CI-related initiatives. It offers new and fresh ways to conceive CI as a fundamental way to approach human wellbeing by finding new solutions to cooperation. It also conceives CI as a global mechanism to address complex and systemic societal challenges and problems like climate change and global pandemics, and aligns with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. Based on scholarly research on CI as well as the authors professional experience as academics, practitioners and consultants, this book offers original insights and guidance to decision-makers, leaders across sectors, practitioners as well general public on how to develop CI practices that enhance human and societal wellbeing.

Petri Virtanen, PhD, is Professor of Administrative Sciences at the University of Vaasa and the CEO of ITLA Children´s Foundation. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Universities of Lapland, Tampere, and Helsinki and he has been Visiting Professor at the university of Canberra (Australia) in 2022-2023. His research interests have concentrated on the topics of organizational intelligence, public services, governance policies, service systems, public policy, and leadership. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and 25 books around these topics. His latest book Public sector leadership: a human-centred approach (co-authored with Marika Tammeaid and Harri Jalonen) was published by Routledge in 2022.Mika Niemelä, PhD, is Professor of Practice at the university of Oulu, and he is the lead developer of the Finnish model of collective impact approaches to enhance children's psychosocial well-being at the local level of governance (public & publicly financed services at municipalities). Prof. Niemelä has conducted research of children's mental health in situations when parent suffers from chronic somatic illness. Prior to his professorship, Dr. Niemelä was researcher at the University of Oulu and Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare. Dr. Niemelä is lead trainer in family psychotherapy training programs run by the University of Oulu.Tiina Ristikari, PhD, is a Research professor at the ITLA Childrens foundation and a visiting researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tampere. Her research interest covers the impact of childhood conditions on later well-being and the role of social and health care services and other community actors in promoting the resilience among families with different types of risk factors. Professor Ristikari has published over 70 articles and reports around these topics. Currently she works closely with several Finnish municipalities conducting collective impact initiatives with the goal to help families with children to be resilient when facing different adversities.Kirsi Peltonen, PhD, is a Senior Researcher in INVEST Research Flagship Center at University of Turku. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tampere. Her research has focused on mental health of children and adolescents and on interventions targeted to them. She has published more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and participated in several books around these topics.