A multi-level analysis of community coordinating councils.

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Organizational Studies

Background:

• Coordinating councils are crucial for addressing complex social issues like community health and violence prevention.
• Limited research exists on the effectiveness of these councils, with prior studies often relying on case studies.
• Understanding factors influencing council effectiveness across diverse settings is essential for improving outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the perceived effectiveness of domestic violence coordinating councils in achieving their goals.
• To identify correlates of council effectiveness across multiple settings.
• To address the multi-level nature of council effectiveness by disaggregating individual and council-level effects.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 511 members and 41 leaders across 43 domestic violence coordinating councils.
• Assessed perceived council climate, membership diversity and activity, structure, and accomplishments.
• Employed multi-level analysis to distinguish individual and council-level factors.

Main Results:

• Council effectiveness was not perceived uniformly across all studied groups.
• Inclusive climate and diverse, active membership were positively associated with higher perceived council effectiveness.
• Specific structural or accomplishment factors did not emerge as primary drivers of effectiveness in this study.

Conclusions:

• The perceived effectiveness of domestic violence coordinating councils is significantly influenced by their internal dynamics, specifically climate and membership.
• Fostering an inclusive environment and ensuring diverse, active participation are key strategies for enhancing council performance.
• Future research should continue to explore multi-level factors impacting interorganizational collaboration and effectiveness.