Influence of Team Negotiations on Collaborative Value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa

Abstract

Purpose: The study sought to determine the influence of team negotiations on collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows' Organizations in Africa
 Methodology: The study applied pragmatism philosophy to offer several ways to bridge dichotomies in mixed methods approaches to social science. Explanatory sequential mixed-method research design consisting of two distinct phases, namely quantitative and qualitative, was adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative study methods were adopted. In the quantitative study, the target population constituted all the 154 Ashoka Fellows' Organizations working in 19 countries in Africa. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered online to the founders (Ashoka Fellows) or the Ashoka Fellows' Organizations' CEOs. One hundred responded by filling out the questionnaire, which translated to a 64.9% response rate. Additionally, qualitative data applied purposive sampling and selected six Ashoka regional team leaders in Africa for in-depth interviews. They all were available for the interviews translating to a 100% response rate. Data analysis techniques combined descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical Package for Social Sciences and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze the collected data.
 Findings: The study results revealed that team negotiation significantly influences collaborative value within Ashoka Fellows’ Organizations in Africa. Team Negotiations have a significant influence on collaborative value with an R2 = 0.214, chi-square X2 (10, N=100) = 72.319, p<.05, SRMR=0.090, Rms-theta=0.234, and NFI=0.773. The null hypothesis was rejected.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that negotiating teams should ensure that they know as much as possible about the other side of the negotiation. The teams' perception is vital in the negotiating team's preparedness as they should be aware of what is necessary at every stage of the negotiating process. When negotiating, the focus should be on looking for alternative ways of dealing with the problem before finding a solution that satisfies all members. The evaluation of options during team negotiations should be objective. At large, the negotiating teams should ensure that all members feel comfortable with the solution to the problem raised before making the steps to implement the solution.