Evidence for the Role of Resource-sharing Networks in Coalition Development

Abstract

Background: Accreditation bodies and sponsors of community health projects increasingly require the use of health coalitions in community health planning efforts to ensure buy-in, leverage resources, and distribute health information. Despite a substantive body of research documenting the characteristics of successful health coalitions, little is known about how team dynamics in these coalitions evolve. Purpose: The goal of this study was to employ social network analysis techniques to evaluate whether coalitions’ relative stages in Tuckman’s stages of team development model were associated with specific patterns of advice-, information-, and resource-sharing among the eight coalitions participating in a regionwide forum. Methods: Data were collected during a community health forum in June 2014, during which coalitions from an eight-county development district in Kentucky gathered to share information about their activities. Observational field notes and a questionnaire measuring relational ties among coalitions were collected during the forum and analyzed in spring 2015. Results: The results indicate that less developed coalitions most frequently seek advice, information, and resource-sharing opportunities from coalitions that have successfully moved through the earlier stages of team development. Implications: The study suggests that well-established coalitions may serve as “mentor coalitions” for groups in more formative stages of development, as they are a trusted source of information, advice, resources, best practices, and lessons learned.