Social enterprise collaboration for improved client outcomes.(making things happen)

Record high gas prices, the rising cost of food and a struggling economy are only a few of the realities facing families across the country today. For many, the only alternative is to seek assistance from the community, including government assistance programs. Unfortunately, this seems like a daunting and insurmountable labyrinth of forms, rejections, interviews and questionable results. Government agencies understand this huge gap between expectations and actual service delivery. For agencies, the recognition that the traditional claim and program model is failing families in need is driving the transformation of their fundamental business model to a new, more effective citizen-centric, family-centric and outcome-focused integrated service delivery model.

Making the transformation requires, first and foremost, a change in thinking to develop systems and strategies based on achieving citizen, rather than agency or program objectives. This change is fundamental since it has been the cornerstone of human service programs for the last 100 years. It means that programs, currently the focal point of many administrations, have to be relegated to a supporting role in dealing with citizens in times of need.

Agencies making a successful transition will look to adopt a more integrated approach to service delivery by working collaboratively with other governmental and nongovernmental agencies and organizations to deliver successful citizen outcomes. By leveraging the key resources and talent of the community, government will be able to deliver an unprecedented level of service, resulting in positive and sustainable outcomes for the individuals, families, and ultimately, the broader community.

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An additional key consideration in moving to an outcome-based model is the involvement of and interaction with a myriad of business partners, such as service providers that actually deliver many of the (transitional) services on behalf of the various government agencies and the charitable organizations and nongovernmental agencies that fill the gaps resulting from the individual focus of the majority of government programs. Harnessing the skills and resources of the partner community through joint collaboration is invaluable in successful business transformation.

The challenge--and the opportunity--is to create the new community by recreating the community of old, to provide a "no wrong door" for citizens in their time of need through a holistic, collaborative engagement model to achieve outcome-focused service delivery. The starting point for this model of collaboration is an underlying business model that supports the unique imperatives and business requirements of social enterprises. Social enterprise management is a business model designed to provide a blueprint for developing outcome-driven business processes and solutions.

Building the new community, an SEM Ecosystem, requires cooperation between agencies and their business partners--the service providers, charitable organizations and non-governmental agencies. Through its support for multidisciplinary teams and collaborative case management, Social enterprise collaboration enables government entities to create an SEM ecosystem to serve their citizens. Social enterprise collaboration is designed with the goal of enabling members of the SEM ecosystem to collaborate on the delivery of outcomes-focused solutions for clients. Social enterprise collaboration is enabled through coordination among the social enterprise members, shared content regarding the case, communication amongst the members and by having a contextual view of the client.

The SEM ecosystem brings a new level of optimism that these collaborative strategies will improve overall outcomes. This is enabled by the delivery--for the first time--of new tools and solutions that will make this vision a reality. A reality that means that individuals and families will have all of their needs considered immediately and that all of the stakeholders act as a unified team chartered to achieve improved outcomes and self-sufficiency for citizens. In addition, the agency will reap the benefits of this improved service delivery model by increasing efficiency and reducing redundant and overlapping efforts.

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Ronan Rooney is the co-founder of Curam Software.