Amid ongoing regulatory and financial volatility, it is imperative that health systems develop capabilities for proactive, nimble decision-making and rapid strategic pivots. These capabilities are particularly important for safeguarding the sustainability of health equity investments in politically complex environments. Moreover, health systems that align their decision-making with external stakeholder priorities will be better positioned to withstand sustained market uncertainty. External stakeholder alignment is the intentional process of creating shared understanding, mutual value, and coordinated action between a health system and the community members it serves.

A key challenge to external alignment for health equity leaders is the lack of connectivity and shared language with functions that build relationships with influential external stakeholders, particularly government relations, marketing, and philanthropy leaders. The information and relationship capital that these stakeholders possess is often inaccessible to health equity leaders, creating blind spots in strategic decision-making and highlighting the need for more strategic partnership between these functions.

Though health equity leaders do not have full control over how their work is perceived, understanding diverse stakeholder perspectives can support prioritization of strategic actions that consider community needs and perceptions. This module outlines strategies for defining your role as a health system and leveraging internal partnerships to improve authenticity in community engagement efforts.