Conceptual Definition of Interorganizational Collaboration and Classification of its Forms

1. Conceptual Definition of Interorganizational Collaboration and Classification of its Forms Adam J. Darnell, Ph.D., James G. Emshoff, Ph.D., Gabriel P. Kuperminc, Ph.D. Driving Questions What is the conceptual definition of collaboration? Are there differences between forms of collaboration that are important for theory and empirical study of collaboration? Basic Distinctions Process concepts = actions or changes Class concepts = objects or forms (McLeod & Pan, 2005) Collaboration is a process concept. Coalition, partnership, collaborative, etc. are class concepts. Forms of Interorganizational Collaboration Note: Interorganizational network is proposed as the label for the broad category of forms. • A Common Definition of Collaboration • Commonalities • A process of forming a relationship between formerly independent parties • Parties necessarily include organizational representatives • Purpose is to pursue a common goal with the aim of combining resources more effectively than when working independently • Interorganizational collaboration is the process of forming a relationship between two or more representatives of organizations to pursue a common goal, with the aim of combining resources in a way that brings about change that the organizations could not have accomplished separately. • Note: Specifying interorganizational collaboration distinguishes this from other group phenomena (e.g., community organizing, teams, international alliances) Collaborative Networks CollaborativePartnerships General Coalitions Collaborations Partnerships Consortia Interorganizational Alliances Collaboratives Coordinating Councils CommunityCoalitions Community-Level Collaborations Communityhealth partnerships Collaborative partnerships for community health and development Specific Interorganizational Networks • Potentially Important Dimensions of Variation • Definitions of forms of collaboration in Table 2 (handout) suggest important dimensions of variation between specific forms: • Types of organizations collaborating (e.g., social service, for-profits) • Involvement of private individuals, and degree of empowerment (e.g., community coalition) • Target issue (e.g., substance abuse, unemployment) • Geographic scope (e.g., local, state) • Size • Organizational formalization (e.g., memoranda of agreement, committee structure, by-laws) • Others? Looking Ahead to a Taxonomy Taxonomy and typology are synonymous (Bailey, 1994) Development of a taxonomy would proceed by: Conceptual identification of dimensions of variation Operationalization of dimensions Observation of actual forms and description in terms of dimensions Classification in terms of selected dimensions Some combinations of dimensions will be more common (i.e., types) Accumulation of knowledge will lead to focus on specific dimensions of variation that are germane to theory and empirical study Forms of Interorganizational Collaboration What types of things collaborate? What is the difference between a coalition and a partnership and other specific forms? There are a larger number of terms in use to refer to specific forms of collaboration (Table 2 provided separately). Please see handout. We make the following observations regarding the current population of terms in use: There is substantial overlap between definitions of specific forms There is variance in the specificity of terms(e.g., network vs collaborative partnership for community heath and development) suggesting a typology in use There is inconsistency in the selection of defining features of specific forms, and terms used to refer to specific forms There is no empirical basis on which to differentiate specific forms • Discussion • Interorganizational collaboration (IC) is the unifying term, and interorganizational network (IN) is the label for the general class of forms • Naming and definition of specific types of interorganizational networks is not consistent • Extent of generalizability of theory and empirical findings across specific types of INs is not yet determined • Studies should relate their content to the broader content of interorganizational collaboration and address the extent to which their specific forms pertain to that general domain • Studies should describe the demographics of their INs more exhaustively to aid comparison of findings from one specific form to another and support gradual taxonomy development This research was made possible with support from the Georgia Family Connection Partnership. Address Correspondence to Adam J. Darnell: adam_darnell@yahoo.com