Navigating collaborative networks: reflections on collective impact

Orr, Alastair Craig (2025) Navigating collaborative networks: reflections on collective impact. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

At a time in which children’s services in Scotland are increasingly focussed on the rights of the child, recent challenges to children’s education, health and wellbeing have been identified (Goldhagen et al., 2020). Threats such as inequities, violence, globalisation, and climate change combine with entrenched social, economic, and cultural factors to impact children’s lives in complex ways. To mitigate such challenges professionals in educational and children’s services are encouraged to develop collaborative approaches, to embed children’s rights across Scotland (Scottish Government, 2017a). However, despite a plethora of definitions, collaboration remains a contentious term, one that is vague and highly variable (D’Amour et al., 2005). This study aimed to explore how collaboration is understood at the local level and identify how it plays out in practice, providing greater clarity for practitioners and policymakers as they seek to work together to ensure children’s rights are realised.

The study focussed on Local Coordinators within the Children’s Neighbourhoods Scotland programme, who were responsible for developing collaboration across services in local areas (CNS, online). Through a series of interviews and focus groups, participants were encouraged to reflect on their experiences of collaboration. Adopting a mixed methods research design, the study combined social network analysis with activity theory, drawing out qualitative understandings of participants’ experiences (Murphy et al., 2019). Findings indicated that despite the geographical, relational and contextual differences in their experiences, several commonalities could be identified. Participants had to survey the network of services available in their local areas, before then attempting to integrate within and subsequently influence those networks. They also had to understand the broader context in which the collaborative activity was expected to occur whilst navigating additional constraints. The study demonstrates how individuals obtain positions of influence within established networks and bounded collaborative communities.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: L Education > L Education (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Supervisor's Name: Chapman, Professor Chris and Cowhitt, Dr. Thomas
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85215
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 18 Jun 2025 15:02
• Last Modified: 18 Jun 2025 15:06
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85215
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85215