Inter-organizational Arrangements Research Articles

Bureaucracy, Organizational Redundancy, and the Privatization of Public Services

A common theme in the platforms of political candidates from presidents to big city mayors is a promise to consolidate fragmented systems, reduce needless duplication of services, and streamline public bureaucracies upon election to office. Although a cardinal premise in the thinking of many current reformists, this view is actually quite consistent with some very traditional - and limited - thinking in public administration: that the government which functions best is one with zero redundancy. In this view, government agencies should strive to be "lean and mean." This notion has motivated numerous government reorganization efforts throughout the past century. When two government units are performing the same function, conventional wisdom suggests that one unit be eliminated, or consolidated within the other, to minimize the duplication of functions and overlapping of jurisdictions. Although appeals are made to scientific management and common sense, the theory that supports this conventional wisdom is never explicitly stated. Yet the benefits of reorganization and consolidation are widely touted - cost reduction and better service to the public. However, not all forms of duplication and overlap constitute waste. Some forms of duplication and overlap can increase organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability. These points were made in Landau's (1969) seminal essay that challenged those in the discipline of public administration to rethink whether zero redundancy is indeed the measure of both economy and efficiency. Landau urged that: there are good grounds for suggesting that efforts to improve public administration by eliminating duplication and overlap would, if successful, produce just the opposite effect. That so many attempts have failed should perhaps alert us to what sociologists would call the "latent function" of this type of redundancy. This possibility alone is sufficient warrant for transforming a precept into a problem (1969; 349). American political culture has long stressed the virtues of competitive redundancies in the constitutionally described governing process, embodied in such precepts as federalism, checks and balances, separation of powers, and competitive political parties. Why then did public administration, focused on the organizational dynamics of modern, bureaucratic government, "condemn competition in our public bureaucracies in a one-sided fashion?" (Bendor, 1985; 33). Although the virtues of competitive interorganizational arrangements for both public and private sectors were discussed by early political economists, the fascination of early writers in public administration with getting government to operate more like business led to an emphasis on restructuring of the type occurring at that time in the private sector. More than a century ago, privately held corporations were consolidating "horizontally to reduce competition and vertically to coordinate specialized and interdependent processes" (Bendor, 1985; 34). Early public administration reformers sought to do the same for government. Ironically for government, the deliberate reintroduction of competition, eventually a great concern for governance of the private sector, seemed not to have surfaced as an imperative for the public sector itself until far more recently. Perhaps the redundancies built into governance by the Constitution obscured the monocratic logic elaborated in routinized administrative activities. As the authors of Reinventing Government acknowledge, "it is one of the enduring paradoxes of American ideology that we attack private monopolies so fervently but embrace public monopolies so warmly" (Osborne and Gaebler, 1992; 79). In Breaking Through Bureaucracy, Barzelay similarly comments that for "Americans supporting the reform and reorganization movements, bureaucracy meant efficiency and efficiency meant good government" (Barzelay and Armanjani, 1992; 4). In this context, it might be said that the current "reinventing" brand of reform thinking represents an interesting combination of two kinds of efforts. …

Coordination Strategy and the Configuration of Interorganisational Relations

IOS affect dimensions such as the boundaries of firms, Interorganisational division of labour as well as decisions about goverance structures and industrial organisation. While there is a strong trend in the current literature to argue in terms of economic logic, such as “the contingencies of the economic rationale determine the selection of governance forms”, we want to emphasise the role of strategic calculations with respect to the choice and combinaion of different forms of governance. Consequently, strategic management should be augmented by coordination strategy which covers the different aspects of the design and maintenance of Inter-organisational arrangements.

Strategy and Bankruptcy: An Exploration in to Organizational Death

Because an organizations existence is a prerequisite for its accomplishments, one would expect that researchers would be intensely interested in those factors which could lessen the likelihood of organizational decline and failure. Yet, until recently little research appeared regarding this topic and very little of it focused on the effectiveness of strategy on the likelihood of corporate bankruptcy. This research will review some of the strategy variables and investigate avenues that are most likely to hold the greatest potential for altering a firm’s likelihood of failure. An exploratory model was developed to study the effects of corporate and business level strategies, as well as cooperative interorganizational and financial strategies. A consistent, significant positive relationship was discovered between survival and a firm’s number of interorganizational linkages in the form of director interlocks. A consistent, significant negative relationship was discovered between survival and a firm S financial leverage. It was also discovered that as failing firms move closer toward bankruptcy they exhibit a degree of isomorphism with their surviving counterparts regarding certain interorganizational arrangements. That such changes in the interorganizational arrangements of failing companies do little to help save them suggests that turnaround efforts must start early in a firm 2 decline of it is to overcome the substantial amount of organizational inertia present in the corporation.

Strategy and bankruptcy: An exploration into organizational death

Because an organization's existence is a prerequisite for its accomplishments, one would expect that researchers would be intensely interested in those factors which could lessen the likelihood of organizational decline and failure. Yet, until recently little research appeared regarding this topic and very little of it focused on the effectiveness of strategy on the likelihood of corporate bankruptcy. This research will review some of the strategy variables and investigate avenues that are most likely to hold the greatest potential for altering a firm 's likelihood of failure. An exploratory model was developed to study the effects of corporate and business level strategies, as well as cooperative interorganizational and financial strategies. A consistent, significant positive relationship was discovered between survival and a firm 's number of interorganizational linkages in the form of director interlocks. A consistent, significant negative relationship was discovered between survival and a firm 's financial leverage. It was also discovered that as failing firms move closer toward bankruptcy they exhibit a degree of isomorphism with their surviving counterparts regarding certain interorganizational arrangements. That such changes in the inter organizational arrangements of failing companies do little to help save them suggests that turnaround efforts must start early in a firm 's decline if it is to overcome the substantial amount of organizational inertia present in the corporation.

Interorganizational Policy Studies: Lessons Drawn From Implementation Research

Contingency approaches to organizing suggest that policy objectives are more likely to be achieved if the structures employed for implementation mesh with the policy objectives being sought. Interorganizational arrangements are used increasingly in carrying out public programs, and contingency logic can be used to assess the degree of match between policy objective and interunit structure. Such a perspective would seem to offer an approach of practical significance. Here the contingency logic as applied to interorganizational implementation is reviewed and its assumptions identified. To probe these assumptions, empirical evidence is analyzed from one policy sector which would seem especially promising. The findings suggest that even under highly favorable conditions, a contingency perspective provides only limited help. The research demonstrates the need for additional conceptual clarification and theoretical care in reaching conclusions about the impact of interorganizational structures on policy settings.

Partnering to train group therapists

Partnerships between mental health organizations and universities are necessary to provide opportunities for graduate students to observe experienced group therapists. Both students and experienced clinicians can benefit from a training model that blends the craft knowledge and book knowledge in group psychotherapy. A description of this interorganizational training arrangement which has worked for four years is presented.

THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AS A CATALYST FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL STUDY

Abstract This article describes interorganizational arrangements — joint efforts characterized by participation of community‐based organizations such as community colleges, economic development organizations, governmental agencies (those responsible for job training, economic development, agricultural development, etc.), civic groups, and chambers of commerce. This coordinating role is often achieved through a partnership of a community college with an “umbrella” organization consisting of representatives of multiple community‐based organizations. Programmatic activity include more than single events; these interorganizational arrangements can include multiple programs; and a wide array of events. The fact that these arrangements are among community colleges and other community‐based organizations lends promise that the joint efforts can be more sustained over time, independent of the success of any single organization, program, or event. These kinds of interorganizational arrangements have proven successful in creating new organizations, new partnerships, and/or nonprofit organizations should the need arise.

Job Training and Economic Development Initiatives: A Study of Potentially Useful Companions

The purpose of this study was to produce new information regarding interorganizational collaboratives for job training and economic development. The goal was to collect information on innovative practices, defined as interorganizational arrangements with demonstrated exemplary outcomes. The study focused on identifying innovative job creation practices, including those involving (a) assistance to small business, a key ingredient in job creation and economic development for this country, and (b) benefits to Job Training Partnership Act participants or other low-income, hard-to-employ workers in terms of job placement. The study analytically assesses what works and why, and discusses lessons learned for other local sites wishing to consider similar initiatives.

Job Training and Economic Development Initiatives: A Study of Potentially Useful Companions

The purpose of this study was to produce new information regarding interorganizational collaboratives for job training and economic development. The goal was to collect information on innovative practices, defined as interorganizational arrangements with demonstrated exemplary outcomes. The study focused on identifying innovative job creation practices, including those involving (a) assistance to small business, a key ingredient in job creation and economic development for this country, and (b) benefits to Job Training Partnership Act participants or other low-income, hard-to-employ workers in terms of job placement. The study analytically assesses what works and why, and discusses lessons learned for other local sites wishing to consider similar initiatives.

Establishing Interorganizational Arrangements between Volunteer Community-Based Groups

(1989). Establishing Interorganizational Arrangements between Volunteer Community-Based Groups. Health Education: Vol. 20, Health Education Interventions for Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations in the United States, pp. 52-55.

Quasi Firms: Strategic Interorganizational Forms in the Health Care Industry

In response to significant political, governmental, and socioeconomic changes affecting the health care industry, health care organizations are forming a wide variety of loosely coupled interorganizational arrangements. In this article, loosely coupled forms are classified according to the extent to which they are designed to achieve strategic purposes. The quasi firm is defined as a loosely coupled arrangement created to achieve long-lasting and important strategic purposes. Mechanisms that are needed to ensure the continuity of quasi firms are explored, and an agenda for further research is given.

Management of interorganizational arrangements for development

The task of development presents a tremendous challenge to management science. Apart from resource mobilization and policy making, the management of organization networks engaged in development programmes is also an area of interest to development managers. An understanding of the nature and management of coordination in these organization networks is perhaps a critical issue. The paper proposes an input⁄output model qf the functioning of development programmes and attempts to explore various influences on the mode of managing interdependent behaviour of the organizations in the concerned networks. Some hypotheses are proposed to predict the complexity of the style of managing interdependence within the network.

The Effectiveness of Jail Mental Health Programs

This article presents an interorganizational approach to the assessment of jail mental health programs, a growing area of concern in the aftermath of state mental hospital deinstitutionalization. Two interorganizational variables—program auspice and program location—are investigated as predictors of the amount of interagency conflict and the perceived effectiveness of safety and service goals associated with the delivery of mental health services in 33 U.S. jails. The results reveal a number of trade-offs between various interorganizational arrangements suggesting that there is “no one best way” to organize services. Findings are discussed in relation to program planning, emergent policy issues, and further research.

Knowledge Transfer and the University: Facilitators and Barriers

The operations of formal interorganizational arrangements involving collaboration between universities and local school districts in the establishment of teacher centers is the focus of this article. Key factors which facilitate or hinder these operations are discussed. Special attention is paid to the flow of knowledge and other resources in and out of universities.

Internships in an Instant Bureaucracy: Some Organizational Lessons

Internships are viewed as interorganizational arrangements in which the academy and the agency each identify their interests and make their procedures and boundary resources flexible enough to accommodate each other's interests. Relatively open organizations meet these conditions more easily than closed systems do. This study analyzes faculty assessments of the Experimental Student Intern Program (ESIP) co-sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and 47 American colleges and universities during the 1980 decennial census. These assessments relate the degree of integration of classroom and field portions of the course. Severe problems with the internships arose, partly because the national staff failed to implement the ESIP by legitimizing it at the local level. The authors also discuss structural problems unrelated to the ESIP in the local census office. Neither the interests of the federal agency nor those of the academy were satisfied because the local agency lacked information, legitimation, and shared interests concerning the internship and was organized as a closed system rather than an open one.

Environmental quality within an interorganizational matrix: A case study of the SOHIO project

Abstract Urban coastal management is now part of a large, complex set of regional, state, and federal interorganizational arrangements. This emerging matrix consists of a loosely linked set of nearly independent decision points. Cities have little capacity within this matrix for independent action. Recent experience in the SOHIO project by the City and Port of Long Beach, California, illustrates the point to which external agencies have taken over decision‐making for use of coastal resources. Public bodies removed from city affairs and politics and with interests in other than coastal affairs have become dominant and have overridden local policy‐making. The public costs to citizens and local governments of the emerging interorganizational matrix are very high and may be excessive. As it is emerging, the matrix is a semi‐autonomous set of bureaucratic decision points which is unhinged from community values and regular political infrastructures.

Coordination and the management of estuarine water quality

Evidence has been presented to show that there is extensive coordination between public and private organisations interested in and affected by water quality conditions in the Lower Fraser River. This conclusion is contrary to many assumptions and statements in literature on water quality management. It is also contrary to many of the assumptions and statements to be found in the literature on public administration, and provides yet more evidence, from another policy field, to indicate that hierarchy is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for coordination of interdependencies in production and/or consumption. A number of suggestive hypotheses have also been raised about the relative advantages and disadvantages of five kinds of coordinative mechanisms found in the provision system in question. These hypotheses have been generated in an inductive fasion from a careful scrutiny of interorganisational and interpersonal interactions, and while they are consistent with the assumptions and/or conclusions of a number of previous public choice analyses of bureaucratic behaviour, they require further empirical verification to confirm their warrantability. It is also to be hoped that subsequent public choice theorizing about bureaucratic behaviour will move beyond studies of hierarchical decision-making and contracting between organizations, and include other forms of interorganizational arrangements that appear to constitute such a large element in “government”.

A Model of Interorganizational Arrangements for Jail Service Delivery

In a recent national study of local jails the authors found that there has been a substantial increase in the availability of services for inmates. This is reflected in organizational changes in the form of new jail delivery systems and new relationships to community systems. Particularly important in this increase of jail services are drug detoxification and related medical care for addicted inmates. Based on these findings, the authors here develop a model which takes into account the systems of interorganizational arrangements through which inmate services are offered. The typological analysis depicts the nature of interaction between various organizations of service providers. There are four systems in the model. These are: 1. The Internal System in which all services are administered and provided by the jail. 2. The Intersection System where services are provided to inmates by community agencies administratively separate from the jail. 3. The Linkage System in which one non-jail agency operates in th...

Defining and Measuring Structural Variations in Interorganizational Arrangements

1 Committee for Economic Development, Reducing and Assuring Justice (New York: Committee for Economic Development, 1972), pp. 30-31. 2 President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, The Challenge of in a Free Society (Washington, D.C.: Superintendent of Documents, 1967); J. L. McCausland, Crime in the Suburbs, in Charles Haar (ed.), The End of Innocence: A Suburban Reader (Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1972), pp. 61-64; Daniel L. Skoler and June M. Hetler, Governmental Restructuring and Criminal Administration: The Challenge of Consolidation, in Crisis in Urban Government: A Symposium: Restructuring Metropolitan Area Government (Silver Spring, MD.. Thomas Jefferson Publishing Company, 1970), pp. 53-75.

Units and Levels of Analysis: A Problem Policy Analysis in Federal Systems

Federalism presents perplexing problems for the selection of units and levels of analysis in policy research. The American federal arrangements in particular were conceptualized and designed to create primary regulating mechanisms through interorganizational relations among planes of government, and among branches within and among those planes.' Overlapping jurisdictions and multiple decision centers established concurrent powers among semiautonomous officials for any given policy area. Interorganizational arrangements were designed to regulate the formulation, execution, and alteration of public policies in the context of bounded rivalries, competition, conflict, and cooperation. Let me summarize how these characteristics of federalism affect the selection of units and levels of analysis in policy research. A major objective of policy analysis is to develop recommendations about how rules and institutions can be reformed to