File Number: NPS-PM-06-026

Authors: Gail Fann Thomas, Susan Page Hocevar, and Erik Jansen

Title: A Diagnostic Approach to Building Collaborative Capacity in an Interagency Context

Published: September 2006

Sponsored by: Acquisition Chair, Naval Postgraduate School

Full Text URL: http://www.acquisitionresearch.net/_files/FY2006/NPS-PM-06-026.pdf

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Abstract:

Federal Acquisition Reform has consistently called for more and better collaboration among participating organizations.  Experience shows, however, that inter-organizational collaboration can be difficult at best.  Our research focuses on imperatives of successful collaboration and aims to assist organizations in diagnosing their collaborative capacity.  Based on prior research with homeland security organizations, we offer a model of inter-organizational collaborative capacity grounded in a systems perspective.  We then identify enablers and barriers that contribute to collaborative capacity.  A diagnostic process based on the established practices of organization development is offered to guide the design of tailored assessments of collaborative capacity.  We present a comprehensive set of both interview and survey questions, based on our model, which can be used in creating a collaborative capacity audit.  The ability to diagnose collaborative capacity encourages literacy around collaboration and assists leaders in determining mechanisms for developing their organization’s collaborative capacity.   Finally, we describe the future plans for validating these assessment tools. 

Keywords:  interagency collaboration; inter-organizational collaboration; collaborative capacity

About the Authors:

Gail Fann Thomas is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School.  She received an EdD at Arizona State University in Business and Education in 1986.  She currently teaches strategic communication in the MBA program at NPS and in the Navy’s Corporate Business Program.  Since arriving at NPS in 1989, she has been involved in a numerous research projects that focus on management and leadership communication dilemmas.

Gail Fann Thomas

Associate Professor

Graduate School of Business and Public Policy

Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey, CA 93943-5197

Tel: (831) 656-2756

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Susan Page Hocevar is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Business and Public (GSBPP) at the Naval Postgraduate School.  She received her PhD in organization and management at University of Southern California in 1989.  She currently teaches courses in organizational behavior, negotiation and consensus building for programs in GSBPP, the NPS School of International Graduate Studies, and the NPS Defense Analysis program, as well as the Navy’s executive Corporate Business program.  Her research programs currently include the ONR-sponsored Adaptive Architectures for Command and Control and inter-organizational collaboration.

Susan Page Hocevar

Associate Professor

Graduate School of Business and Public Policy

Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey, CA 93943-5197

Tel: (831) 656-2249

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Erik Jansen is a senior lecturer in the Graduate School of Operations and Information Sciences at the Naval Postgraduate School.  In 1987, he received his PhD from the University of Southern California in organization and management.  He currently teaches organizational theory and design and command and control.  His research has been in the area of organizational design, emphasizing organizational reward systems and careers in the context of innovation.

Erik Jansen

Senior Lecturer

Graduate School of Operations and Information Sciences

Naval Postgraduate School

Monterey, CA 93943-5197

Tel: (831) 656-2623

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The research presented in this report was supported by the Acquisition Chair of the Graduate School of Business & Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School.
 
To collaborate on Defense Acquisition Research or to become a research sponsor, please contact:
 
RADM James B. Greene, USN, (Ret), Acquisition Chair
Tel: (831) 656-2092
Fax: (831) 656-2253
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