A Framework for SART Effectiveness: Part 6

On the blog today, we’re going to be learning about the first two of the four external factors that make up SVJI’s new Framework for SART Effectiveness. For a reminder of what the framework looks like and the differences between the internal and external factors, please see the first post of this series.

The first of the framework’s external factors is confident individual team members. When an individual is selected to represent their agency on a SART, it helps if they come into the role with a strong sense of confidence in themselves and their work, along with a genuine interest in the collaborative systems-change work of the team. When team members have this preexisting confidence in themselves and their capabilities, they are more able to effectively represent the perspectives of their agencies and disciplines by participating in meetings, assuming leadership roles, and sharing experiences, while also advocating within their agencies for implementation of the systems-change work of the team.

The second external factor is supportive member agencies. While all agencies that choose to take part in SART work have already demonstrated some inherent support for the team, at times it can feel as though some disciplines are carrying most of the real weight of supporting the team, while others are only showing up for meetings and participating to the least extent possible. In order for your team to be as effective as it possibly can be, it is important that all agencies be fully committed to the mission of the team and to the implementation of its protocols and other systems-change work.

Making sure that member agencies feel invested and engaged with the work of the team can lead to better and more consistent implementation of the SART’s protocols, increased time and/or resources allotted to the team by member agencies, and more interest and engagement in systems-change work by member agency employees who don’t sit on the team.