How Does Emergent Learning Help Collaboratives Learn and Adapt?

When collaborative partners come together to tackle complex challenges, learning must be part of the work itself and not an afterthought.

In this new podcast episode, we talk with Lauren Gase of Mindful Metrics and Lori Fuller of Fuller Impact about Emergent Learning and how the principles and practices that are part of Emergent Learning can support collaboratives that are navigating uncertainty, complexity, and change.

This discussion offers practical insights for anyone working in collective impact, backbone roles, or cross-sector partnerships, including:

• Why learning is most powerful when it is ongoing, shared, and grounded in real work rather than reports or one-time reflections
• How clearly shared goals and thinking help partners remain aligned while allowing space to test different approaches
• How simple practices like Before and After Action Reviewsand Emergent Learning Tablescan help groups turn experience into insight and action
• How Emergent Learning can help collaboratives work through tensions, adapt to changing conditions, and even recognize when collaboration may not be the right path forward

If you are looking for practical ways to support learning, adaptation, and progress in collaborative work, we invite you to listen to the full episode.

Resources and Footnotes:

• Emergent Learning Community and Resources
• Guide to the Principles of Emergent Learning
• Fuller Impact
• Mindful Metrics

More on Collective Impact

• Infographic: What is Collective Impact?
• Resource List: Getting Started in Collective Impact

The Intro music, entitled “Running,” was composed by Rafael Krux, and can be found here and is licensed under CC: By 4.0.

The outro music, entitled “Deliberate Thought,” was composed by Kevin Macleod. Licensed under CC: By.

Have a question related to collaborative work that you'd like to have discussed on the podcast? Contact us at: https://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/contact-us/