- 2015-03-09 (x)
- Social capital (Sociology) (x)
- Cooke-Lauder, Jane (x)
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Show moreWhat are the critical elements contributing to successful collaboration among nongovernment organizations working together to tackle wicked social problems in super stressed environments? What role does the funder play in aiding the success of such collaborative endeavours? We used a combination of collaborative theory gathered primarily from research conducted in the developed world among both for profit and not for profit entities, together with practitioner observations to examine two different possible sets of influencers on the performance of collaborative projects: the dynamic among the collaborating partners expressed in terms of role clarity, conflict management and interorganizational trust – as well as the impact of the support and control provided by the funder. The dimensions of formalization, centralization and complexity were added to create a mediated model that extended the limited body of work on how structure influences collaboration. Using data collected from NGOs involved in the HIV/AIDS struggle in South Africa and their funders (both local and international), we found that collaboration in this environment is more art than science and that the conventional wisdom of the developed world may not be readily transferable. Funders interested in being part of collaborative projects that deliver on their stated objectives should seek opportunities where they can act as the dominant financial resource for the project, and in addition, must be thoughtful in selecting the right mix of controls and non-financial supports given that the formal controls they typically impose do not appear to lead to enhanced collaborative performance. Within the collaboration, the ability to resolve conflict constructively is of critical importance, as is the ability to differentiate between activity and meaningful inter-partner engagement. Additional work is required to provide definitive guidance with regard to the impact of structure, but early indications are that collaboration leaders need to pay careful attention to the dimensions of centralization and formalization, since both appear to have a non-linear relationship with collaboration performance. Keywords: NGO; collaboration; super-stressed societies; wicked problems; funders; collaboration structure; funder controls; funder supports; role clarity; interorganizational trust; conflict management; collaborative behavior; collaborative performance
Doctorate of Management Programs
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Show moreThree intersecting trends create an interesting arena for this study – collaboration is increasingly being portrayed as the way to solve wicked problems at a time when significant cross-border social issues are ever more pressing and when the number and level of activity of Non Government Organizations (NGOs) is on the increase. The result is a world where NGOs are working together differently, more collaboratively, to address these intractable social issues. But results indicate that their collaboration efforts are not always successful. This study was based on interviews conducted with 19 leaders of NGOs working collaboratively to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. It has powerful implications for practice in that there are differences from the conventional literature in both the nature of the collaboration as well as the barriers and enablers to collaboration. Our interviewees suggests that in this particular set of circumstances – NGOs collaborating to address wicked social problems in super-stressed environment – collaboration is a noisy, messy, unwieldy situation fraught with competition, tension and ambiguity and where seven ‘orientations’ are required for the collaboration to be successful, namely: a drive to action, clarity of roles and responsibilities, careful selection of partners, orchestration of the collaboration, management of internal competition, implementation of a sufficiency of structure and process and finally, knowing when to end or transform the collaboration. Keywords: NGO; collaboration; barriers and enablers; wicked social problems; superstressed environments
Doctorate of Management Programs
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Show moreHIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa has reached pandemic proportions, with an adult prevalence rate of 8.4%. Of the 30 million African people infected with AIDS at the end of 2002, 58% were women. The economic impact is devastating as is the effect on society and families as measured by reduced life expectancy, family income, and agricultural and industrial efficiency. While funding and the number of aid organizations (including non-government organizations [NGOs]) operating in Africa have increased exponentially, their effectiveness is being debated. Worldwide, a trend is discernible for organizations from a range of disciplines and sectors to work together in tackling such intractable diseases as HIV/AIDS. Getting organizations to collaborate is described as being challenging - yet, when it occurs, the results can be phenomenal. This conceptual work, based on extant literature, establishes a framework to examine NGOs in collaborative arrangements in South Africa providing services to communities dealing with the challenge of HIV/AIDS, particularly services that are targeted to women and children. South Africa was selected as the appropriate location for this study as it has higher absolute numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS than any country in the world. Specifically, the paper is designed to facilitate the gathering of data to respond to such questions as whether collaborative efforts in this sector are more successful than autonomous efforts, and how the participants assess success; whether factors such as aligning expectations, having sufficient resources, involvement of members and the community, and establishing mechanisms for enforcing accountability, contribute to the success of the collaboration; how interorganizational trust affects collaboration success; and finally whether power differentials among the partners affect collaborative success. In conclusion, the paper posits the nature of the relationship among these different concepts.
Doctorate of Management Programs
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