Assessing Inter-Organizational Collaboration: Multiple Conceptions and Multiple Methods

Abstract

Abstract Arguments extolling the importance of inter-organizational collaboration and its benefits have gained prominence in the management and policy literature in the last decade (Gray, 1989; Wood and Gray, 1991; Huxham and McDonald, 1992; Smith, Carroll, and Ashford, 1995; Evans, 1996b; Huxham, 1996b). Two distinct streams of research have emerged: one focusing on strategic alliances and joint ventures among business organizations and the other addressing cross-sectoral alliances among business, governments, schools, NGOs, and other stakeholders concerned about a particular problem domain. Particularly in education, social services, planning health care, and environmental arenas, collaboration among cross-sectoral sets of organizations concerned about a particular problem domain is increasingly necessary and often mandated (Trist, 1983; Carpenter and Kennedy, 1988; Gray, 1989; Potapchuk and Polk, 1993).