If you ask the team at The Center for Implementation (TCI) what guides their work, one word comes up repeatedly: collaboration.
This is more than just a value. It is a foundational principle. TCI works in a space where collaboration is not only encouraged but essential. The challenges they address, such as health equity, education reform, and guideline adoption, are too complex for any single organization to solve alone.
TCI focuses on implementation science, the study of how change actually happens. It explores how people adopt new practices, how organizations align around a shared direction, and how systems sustain improvements over time. It is a science rooted in the real world, shaped by human behavior, competing demands, and constantly evolving contexts.
Despite the rigor of the field, TCI takes a deeply human approach. The organization does not see itself as a vendor or a detached expert. Instead, it builds long-term relationships with partners. These include nonprofits, government agencies, and others doing similar work in the field of implementation science.
One team member recently put it simply: “We do not view others doing this work as competitors. We are all trying to solve similar problems, and we all benefit when the field grows stronger.”
This mindset influences everything TCI creates. Their online courses, signature tools like Cultiv8 and Map2Adapt, and their collaborative projects are all developed with openness in mind. These tools are not locked behind exclusive access or built for limited use. They are made to be shared, adapted, and continuously improved.
Importantly, TCI does not separate knowledge from practice. Each resource is built with input from real world users, including practitioners working in classrooms, clinics, or community programs. Their insights shape how each tool evolves over time. This feedback loop helps ensure that what TCI creates stays relevant, flexible, and grounded in the needs of those delivering change on the front lines.
TCI also recognizes that many of the people working to implement change, such as nurses, teachers, social workers, and policy makers, do not have time to navigate dense academic research. That is why the organization prioritizes clarity and accessibility. It translates the principles of implementation science into practical tools and language that frontline professionals can understand and use.
This includes offerings like the StrategEase tool, which supports intentional decision making around implementation strategies, and Map2Adapt, which helps teams plan for thoughtful, transparent adaptations. Tools are accompanied by self-paced learning options, tailored training sessions, and practical guides to help teams embed implementation thinking into their everyday work.
This commitment to accessibility reflects a broader belief that good ideas must be usable, not just publishable. Whether teams are just beginning to explore implementation science or looking to deepen their application, TCI creates space for learning at every level.
In a landscape where social impact work is often branded, divided, or proprietary, TCI offers a different path. Its work is grounded in generosity, precision, and shared purpose. Success is not defined solely by what TCI produces. It is measured by how others are empowered to act, adapt, and lead meaningful change because of what they learned along the way.
