The purpose of the study was to systematically analyze through qualitative research strategies the dynamics of one collaborative arrangement to gain an understanding of how collaboration influenced goal attainment, and the processes used by participants to attain goals. The collaboration studied was a project involving representatives from a school district and two universities to develop and implement a management development center for the diagnosis, selection and training of school administrators. / The activities related to Project goals were described in a case description. The data were broken down into different categories, and an analytical description was developed which described the linkage between characteristics of collaboration and impacts and processes affected. The identified characteristics were (1) unstructured authority; (2) existence of different needs and interests; (3) existence of different internal/external pressures; (4) differences in intraorganizational characteristics; and (5) differences in organizational cultures. The major impacts of these characteristics were that they (1) were complicated; (2) required flexibility and adjustment; (3) tended to produce conflict between representatives; and (4) were expanded through attempts to integrate needs and interests of the different organizations. The processes in attaining goals used by the representatives were: (1) the need to gain agreement through both formal and informal channels; (2) the use of autonomous decision making; (3) negotiation; (4) adjustments; (5) diversification of tasks; (6) diversification of the means of involving organizational members; and (7) attempts at reducing tension. Findings of the study indicated (1) commitment to goals was a major factor in maintaining relationship; (2) interpersonal linkages facilitated goal attainment; (3) procedural authority modified the existence of unstructured authority; (4) power balancing operations existed during negotiation; (5) frustration was the major dysfunctional outcome; (6) processes and procedures were complicated; and (7) differences in organizational cultures influenced predisposition toward acceptance of suggestions and overall climate of the project. Implications of the impact of collaboration were given for the researcher and practitioner. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-09, Section: A, page: 2716. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75409 |
| Contributors | MARTINEZ, KATHLEEN M., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 393 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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