Is Collaboration Stronger Longer?

• In Event: Cross-sector collaborations

Abstract

Collaboration evolves over time to build the acumen of individual members as well as the capacity of the Collaboration itself. The relationship between trust and learning is enhanced (Lui, 2009), and repeated, consistent interaction fosters new skills, values, resources, and shared consensus (LePennec & Raufflet, 2018). However, collaboration may be more successful when organizations share an explicit understanding of the problem. Over time, mutual consensus may be strained as the collaboration extends to new geographic areas and service areas or welcomes new partners. Potentially formal contracts to promote accountability and anchor strategy might become necessary (Bryson et al., 2015).


It is not clear if the longer organizations work together the less formal their relationships are since they have already established a repertoire and now what to expect from each other; along the same lines, newer relations might require formality as a layer of protection. The same argument can apply to decision making. In newer collaborative relations, organizations might prefer to share the responsibility of making decisions; the longer they work together and build trust, the more willing they are to defer to others and give up that responsibility. The question then is: does the age of collaboration shape its arrangements? A second question is whether the age of collaboration shape the perceptions of its outcomes? In other words, how likely are newer collaborative efforts to generate positive perceptions of effectiveness, increased performance, citizens’ satisfaction, and trust between collaborators.


To answer these questions, we use the lenses of resource dependence theory, transaction cost theory, institutional theory, and network perspectives to propose a set of hypotheses. We test these hypotheses using quantitative data from two national surveys conducted in 2017 targeting 1100 local governments and 650 nonprofits in Lebanon.

References

Bryson, J. M., Crosby, B. C., & Stone, M. M. (2015). Designing and Implementing Cross-Sector Collaborations: Needed and Challenging. Public Administration Review, 75(5), 647–663.
Le Pennec, M., & Raufflet, E. (2018). Value Creation in Inter-Organizational Collaboration: An Empirical Study. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(4), 817–834. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-3012-7
Lui, S. S. (2009). The Roles of Competence Trust, Formal Contract, and Time Horizon in Interorganizational Learning. Organization Studies, 30(4), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840608101139

Authors

• Khaldoun AbouAssi, American University

• Jocelyn M Johnston, American University School of Public Affairs

• Kathryn Grossman, American University

• Yousif ElSaghir, Independent Researcher IDGRC