Governance for Collaboratives: A Guide to Resolving Power and Conflict Issues

Full citation: Roberts, Joan. 2010. Governance for Collaboratives: A Guide to Resolving Power and Conflict Issues. Toronto: Joan Roberts Consulting. Paperback. 232 Pages.

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Contributed by Jane Garthson

With this book, Joan continues the wise advice she gave in Alliances, Coalitions and Partnerships: Building Collaborative Organizations, 2004. Many advisors recommend that organizations collaborate more, but admit if challenged that many collaborations fail. Joan gives practical advice for increasing not only the chance of a successful collaborative, but also the degree of positive community impact from the collaborations. Her books fill a void in the nonprofit literature.

The book is primarily based on Joan’s extensive experience with human service organizations seeking to collaborate within a diverse and challenged city. Those working on collaborations involving other types of nonprofits, or collaborations with a broader geographic scope, will still find considerable wisdom and useful ideas, but may have to extrapolate a little. The book is published in Canada but the ideas are global.

The book is quite readable and follows a logical progression:

• Collaboratives: A new form of organizational structure

• Why does governance in collaboratives need to be addressed

• Getting your agency ready to partner

• Collaborative organizational structures

• Steps in collaboration, from motivation through composition, planning, implementation, and evaluation, each with its own chapter

• Rapid development of crisis-driven collaboratives

• Managing conflict and political dynamics in collaboratives

• Leadership

You might think it odd that the chapter on conflict is almost at the end, given the sub-title. However, you apply the advice in the first eleven chapters, there is much less chance you will have to manage serious conflict. You may even find out that the collaboration you initially had in mind is likely to waste your energy and resources, and you will be able to identify a better partner or set of partners up-front.

As we all know, we are interdependent and interconnected. No community vision worth having is likely to be achieved by a single existing entity. We therefore must collaborate, so read this book to help collaborations achieve their highest potential. Once you’ve read it, get your proposed collaborative partners to read it too. Align your efforts and work improve your community together.

Where to order this book online: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0986527106/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=cvfundraising-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0986527106
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