The ResultsBasedAccountability NETWORK

It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all. And often enough our faith beforehand in an uncertain result is the only thing that makes the result come true.

William James

Results and performance accountability is about working backward from ends to means. For populations, the ends we seek are improved conditions of well being for children, adults, families and communities. For programs and agencies, the ends we seek are improved conditions of well-being for our clients or customers.

Mark Friedman

• a community of experts, practitioners and novices teaching and learning RBA together.
• a registry or web-based Yellow Pages that can be used to "match the need to the solution."
• a system in place to expand the pool of experts available to states, counties, cities, communities and neighborhoods to help them face the challenges of implementing RBA.

The proposed design of the RBA Network reflects the thinking and work of many people. The initial concept was proposed and endorsed by participants of the First Annual Results Based Accountability Gathering. This Conference, held in Scottsdale, Arizona in October 1999, brought together over a hundred people from more than twenty different states. Those attending identified as a key ingredient in their own pursuit of results accountability an RBA Network to accomplish the following:

• To offer a structured but highly flexible way in which RBA learners can connect with those who can help them to understand and apply RBA concepts – whether they are "experts" or peers;
• To make the growing body of knowledge about the application of RBA available to a growing audience of individuals and organizations; and,
• To develop a growing cadre of people who are available to share their knowledge of RBA with others, either as a peer or an expert.

Assumptions:

• There is a growing body of information and knowledge to which many will contribute over time. It is not static, and there is no gospel. There is a rich history of RBA in other areas that can and should be studied for insights. The knowledge grows and becomes richer by being shared among those who value and practice Results Accountability.
• The more people who contribute from diverse disciplines and sectors and from different perspectives (e.g. policymakers, managers, providers, consumers, and community residents), the richer the information on RBA becomes.
• "Experts" in RBA are individuals who have spent more time than others thinking about and working with others to apply RBA concepts. They can be consultants or people working in the organizations using RBA. For example, they can be peers or peersplus of those who are learning RBA concepts.

Principles:

• The content of Results Accountability is not owned by any one consultant or organization.
• "Teaching" and learning are the same activity. Those who are truly teaching learn from those they teach. Those who are taught challenge the "teacher" to learn more through their questions. Without a learning exchange between the teacher and learner, most teaching is dry and learning is rote. When peers share their expertise with each other, this kind of learning exchange happens. It is what makes peer learning so exciting and as or more productive than learning from an "expert." In many cases, in order to teach someone a topic you "know", it is necessary to first delve more deeply. The questions from the uninitiated are often the most difficult to answer.
• The RBA Network does not guarantee the quality of an the learning experience. The quality of learning experience is the responsibility of both the learner and teacher.

Measures of Success:

The proposed performance measures of the Network are:

• The percentage of customers, expert and peer TA providers satisfied with their Network experiences is increased.
• The percentage of customers applying results accountability that report improved performance and improved indicators of well being is increased.

The proposed measures of scale or return on investment are:

• The number of customers using one or more elements of the Network.
• The number of states, counties, cities and neighborhoods using the Network..

Modified 5/12/2000

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