Notes - Hardy (1998) Strategies of Engagement

8/13/2019 Notes - Hardy (1998) Strategies of Engagement

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Strategies of Engagement: Lessons from the Critical Examination of Collaboration andConflict in an Interorganizational Domain

Cynthia Hardy Nelson Phillis

!c"ill #ni$ersity% &ac'lty of !anagement% ())( Sherbroo*e +est !ontreal% Canada% H,-

I".

&rom time to time% /e need reminding that organizational strategies and henomena come incomlex ac*ages0 1his st'dy foc'sed on collaboration in the inter2organizational domain0 It

resents e$idence that s'ggests that collaboration may not al/ays be a desirable strategy forsol$ing 3oint iss'es among organizations and that conflict may not be a negati$e factor in theirexchanges0

Peter &erns

Abstract

!any /riters ad$ocate interorganizational collaboration as a sol'tion to a range oforganizational and intersectoral roblems0 -ccordingly% they often concentrate on itsf'nctional asects0 +e arg'e that collaboration deser$es a more critical examination%

artic'larly /hen the interests of sta*eholders conflict and the balance of o/er bet/eenthem is 'ne4'al0 #sing examles from a st'dy of the #5 ref'gee system% /e arg'e thatcollaboration is only one of se$eral ossible strategies of engagement 'sed by organizationsas they try to manage the interorganizational domain in /hich they oerate0 In this aer% /edisc'ss fo'r s'ch strategies6 collaboration% compliance% contention and contestation0 7yexamining the sta*eholders in the domain and as*ing /ho has formal a'thority% /ho controls*ey reso'rces% and /ho is able to disc'rsi$ely manage legitimacy% researchers are in astronger osition to e$al'ate both the benefits and costs of these strategies and to differentiate

more clearly bet/een strategies that are tr'ly collaborati$e and strategies that are not0 In other/ords% /e hoe to demonstrate that collaboration between organizations is notnecessarily "good", conflict is not necessarily "bad", and surface dynamics are not

necessarily an accurate representation of what is going on beneath.

8Interorganizational Collaboration6 Confiict6 Interorganizational Domain6 Po/er6 9ef'geeSystems

Introduction

Collaborati$e strategies ha$e been attracting increasing attention as a means to addressroblems that range from dereg'lation% to globalization% to s'stainable de$eloment ;e0g0%-stley (6 7resser and Harl (


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It has been noted% ho/e$er% that m'ch of the research in this area adots a functionalistrather than a critical perspective ;e0g00 +arren et al (% Hazen (


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CN1HI- H-9D -ND NELSGN PHILLIPS Strategies of Engagement

iss'es s'ch as exploitation, repression, unfairness, and asymmetrical power relations,which have preoccupied critical theorists% are often neglected0 +e s'ggest that these issuesare crucial to an understanding of collaboration% artic'larly /hen artners ha$e different

goals, values, and beliefs ;+addoc* (


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ob3ecti$e% redetermined str'ct'res% bnirocesses of social constr'ction ;!c"'ire (


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CN1HLA H-9D -ND NELSGN PHILLIPS Strategies of Engagement

Sta*eholder to do e$erything ossible to ens're that the domain is constmcted in the /ay thataffords it the most ad$antage0 Since the ability to articiate in social constr'ction theability to create meaningis differentially distrib'ted bet/een actors ;e0g0% 7erger and

L'c*man (


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Sencer2 Hall ;(


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CN1ffl- H-9D -ND NELSGN PfflLLIPS Strategies of Engagement

exercised ;D'tton and D'ncan (


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nongo$ernment ;N"G and ref'gee organizations that are in$ol$ed in determining the stat'sof indi$id'als claiming asyl'm and in assisting in the settlement of those indi$id'als grantedasyl'm0B +e examine fi$e organizations in more detail6 the go$ernment and% /ithin it% theImmigration and Nationality Deartment6 the 9ef'gee Legal Centre and the 7ritish 9ef'geeCo'ncil% both N"Gs6 the Comm'nity De$eloment 1eam% art of the 7ritish 9ef'gee

Co'ncil6 and the 9ef'gee &or'm% a ref'gee organization0

The Government

1he go$ernment% esecially the Home Gffice and the Immigration and NationalityDeartment% lays a central role in the #5 ref'gee system0 1he go$ernment drafts and assesthe legislation that secifies determination roced'res and defines the rights of ref'gees0 In(


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n'mbers then increased to >?) /ithin the follo/ing year to deal /ith the gro/ing n'mber ofasyl'm alications ;Home Gffice (


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thereby re$enting asyl'm see*ers from 'sing ri$ate solicitors 'nless they /ere able to ayfor their ser$ices0 &ollo/ing /idesread criticism% this lan /as droed0 In (


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organization is the 9ef'gee &or'm% an 'mbrella association comrising other ref'geecomm'nity organizations0

1he 9ef'gee &or'm% /hich is neither a charity nor go$ernment f'nded% is an 'mbrella gro'

of ref'gee2r'n organizations that engages rimarily in lobbying acti$ities% /hile its memberorganizations ro$ide rotection and settlement ser$ices0 It /as formed in ( in resonse tothe Bfail'resB of instit'tions li*e the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil and #5I-S to Breresent 's% tofight for 'sB ;seech by 9ef'gee &or'm Director% -ril (


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Certainly the attitudes of the established agencies have changed; this one [the British

Refugee Council] has changed.... I think that the strategic planning exercise [on

community development] here had an impact . . . uestioning the role of our services.

!hould "e be doing this or should "e be helping a community organi#ation to do it$

%ou have to introduce that uestioning so you don&t automatically assume that you&ve

got to do it. %our role might be to help a refugee community organi#ation to solve theproblem '(eam employee).

1he Comm'nity De$eloment 1eam does not have any formal authority to ta*e on thisrole% in so far as the ref'gee comm'nity is concerned% b't it does ossess resourcesexertise% money% exerience% etc0that ref'gees do not0 Ho/e$er% both the 1eam and theref'gee comm'nity organizations oerate in a sit'ation /here all reso'rces are scarce:f'nding% exertise% and olitical ress're ha$e to be obtained from a $ariety of differentso'rces% ma*ing coordinated initiati$es essential0 In addition% the team is 'nable to ro$ideser$ices to all the ref'gee comm'nity organizations that see* s'ort0 1herefore% by helingref'gee comm'nity organizations to hel themsel$es% the team le$erages these scarce

reso'rces01he ref'gee comm'nity organizations $ol'ntarily articiate in these 3oint initiati$es s'ch asthe Haring'ay 9ef'gee Consorti'm% /hich consists of fo'r fo'nding ref'gee comm'nityorganizations of Eritreans% Iranians% Somahs% and #gandans0 $uch organizations perceivethat benefits derive from /oint action that would not accrue from working in isolation. Inso doing% they accord the Comm'nity De$eloment 1eam the legitimacy to speak on theirbehalf. Similarly% team members set great store in f'll articiation by ref'gees% accordingthem the legitimacy of e4'al artners0 1hese relationshis aear to be consistent /ith thedisc'ssions of collaboration enco'ntered in the literat're0 1here ha$e been many attemts to

ool reso'rces and share o/er in order to sol$e some of the many roblems facing ref'geecomm'nity organizations0

G9"-NI-1IGN SCIENCEAGI0


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(he *oint approach "as a tactical move that "e encouraged .. . to make composite

applications "hich "e thought have a better chance of competing for government

funding. It also pools the experience that exists .. . the +ome ,ffice seems to be

happier "ith *oint applications. (hat&s the feedback "e got... -e don&t usuay imposethings on groups/ "e try to facilitate it.. . (hese *oint initiatives are not at the cost of

organi#ational identities. (hese refugees have their o"n organi#ations and only come

together for common pro*ects 'team employee).

In Gther /ords% the relationshi bet/een the team and other organizations /as one of mutualcollaboration.

+hile this collaboration contrib'ted to change in the domain% notably in the participationand empowerment of refugee community organizations% the domain arameters /ere notcomletely o$erha'led since the teamKs role in emo/ering ref'gees reaffirmed its ri$ileged

osition0

0s far as letting go [of these refugee community organi#ations]/ it is a strangesituation. I&m not trying to patroni#e them but they are like children at different stages

of their life and/ so/ need different types of help. !ome are older and should be more

developed but [because of staff turnover] remain inexperienced 'team employee).

&inally% it is imortant to note that one of the catalysts behind the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncilKscreation of the Comm'nity De$eloment 1eam /as the 9ef'gee &or'mKs confrontational and$ocal s'ort for ref'gee emo/erment ;see belo/0

1ompliance1he 9ef'gee Legal Centre0 Gn the s'rface% interactions bet/een thego$ernment and the 9ef'gee Legal Centre aear to be highly cooerati$e0 1he centre doesla'nch challenges to go$emment determination decisions b't% regardless% ci$il ser$ants in the-syl'm Di$ision clearly differentiated case /or*ers in the centre from ri$ate solicitors0

(he relationship bet"een us and the Refugee 1egal Centre is one of respect. (hey

don&t "ork in an antagonistic sense/ unlike some solicitors "ho are being paid by the

client/ "ho see it as much more confrontational/ 2you&re "rong/ I&m right2 "ay. -e do

have a special relationship "ith the Centre "hich involves "orking "ith them to get

the best result but "ithout compromising either organi#ation&s standards or values.

(hey tend to understand our problems a lot more and "e understand theirs 'civil

servant).

1he go$emment also ro$ided s'ort for the 9ef'gee Legal Centre% /hich it needed to aid inthe rocessing of ref'gee alications 'nder the ne/ legislation0

-e continue to liaise as closely as possible "ith the Refugee 1egal Centre. -e had a

meeting recently about the ne" Bill and ho" to liaise [around procedures]. -e are

anxious to maintain the good relations "e have there.... (hey do have anxieties and

"e are doing our best to "ork them through. It is in our interests to make the

procedures "ork 'civil servant).

1his reliance of the go$emment on the 9ef'gee Legal Centre /as% ho/e$er% a short2termhenomenon restricted rimarily to the transition eriod 'ntil the ne/ legislation andaccomanying reg'lations /ere assed and imlemented0

(here&s a political "ill at the moment to get us up and running. -e&ve got a strong

"ind behind us and "e&re under no illusions that "e&ve got to take advantage of thepolitical "ill. It exists because they "ant their ne" asylum procedure in place and


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they can&t do it "ithout us... (hey can&t disband us and get it done . . . but I shouldn&t

think it "ill last. I think "e&ll come do"n to earth about one year into the [ne"] Bill

and they "ill start cutting our budget/ suee#ing and chopping 'centre employee).

In fact% this eriod in /hich the 9ef'gee Legal Centre ossessed some le$erage mas*ed a farmore end'ring relationshi in /hich the go$emment /as% by far% the more o/erf'l layer ofthe t/o0

&or examle% /hile% officially% the go$emment had no role in the daily oerations of the9ef'gee Legal Centre% in reahty it had considerable infl'ence0 1he centreKs searation from#5I-S and reconstit'tion as a searate organization had been instigated by the go$emment0

1echnically /e Othe Home Gffice are entirely distinct Ofrom the 9ef'gee LegalCentre: yo' ha$e an indeendent organization0 +here this falls do/n in the eyesofthe 'blic or of the ress're gro's is that it does recei$e art of its f'nding from thego$emment and critics say: BHo/ can an organization that recei$es f'nding from thego$ernment be indeendent of the go$emmentMB +e say that000 /e ha$e no say in ho/the organization r'ns0 ItKs entirely ' to them and their constit'tion ho/ they carry o'ttheir /or*0 1hat also falls do/n slightly /hen yo' consider that /e ga$e them an'ltimat'm on ho/ to reform themsel$es and later /ithdre/ their f'nding on the basisthat they didnKt do it ;ci$il senKant0

Ho/e$er% the mandate of the 9ef'gee Legal Centre /as to ro$ide indeendent legal ad$iceto ref'gees0 1he na2 t're of the close relationshi bet/een the centre and the go$emment didnot assed 'nnoticed by other agencies% artic'larly /hen the go$erntnent roosed gi$ing ita monooly o$er free legal reresentation0 1he 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil /rote to the centre;then still art of #5I-S as*ing it Bnot to agree to any exansion of its ser$ices at theexense ofthe abolition of legal aidB ;Exile (


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CN1H# H-9D -ND NELSGN PHH0LIPS Strategies of Engagement

Centre from others in the ref'gee ind'stry /ho are s'sicio's of their relationshi/ith the Home Gffice and IKm not abo't to re3'dice those relationshis beca'se that/o'ldnKt be in anybodyKs interests ;ci$il ser$ant0

In other /ords% cooeration occ'rred bet/een these t/o organizations% b't stes /ere ta*en toens're that the f'll extent of this cooeration /as hidden from other organizations in thedomain0

1his relationshi does not constit'te collaboration b't comliance: the 9ef'gee Legal Centrecomlied /ith the go$ernment beca'se of the asymmetrical distrib'tion of o/er0 Emloyeesof the 9ef'gee Legal Centre had no ill'sions concerning the limits of their o/er0

+eK$e come to the oint /here /eK$e reached agreement on /hat /e can and canKt do01hereKs not m'ch oint in table o'nding ;Centre emloyee0

In effect% the Centre had been s'fficiently socialized ;see +arren et al ( to *no/ exactly

ho/ far it co'ld go in challenging the go$ernment01hey 'ndo'btedly do ha$e reser$ations abo't asects of the legislation b't at this

oint itKs not going to change0 1hey accet that and try to ma*e the best of it ;ci$ilser$ant0

1his imbalance of o/er enabled the go$ernment to reg'late the 9ef'gee Legal CentreKsactions to a great extent% re$enting serio's threats to its osition from being made0 &orexamle% instead of agitating for ma3or changes in the /ay the #5 ref'gee domain /asconstit'ted% the centre /as more li*ely to s'bmit to go$ernment demands% as can be seen fromits stance on the ne/ legislation0

+e can articiate in the 'blic debate thro'gh the normal channels if it directly

concerns o'r clients0 !y interretation of the charity la/s is they allo/ 's to do that0 IdonKt thin* /e can initiate anything% I donKt thin* /e can march do/n the street andsay: B1he 9ef'gee Legal Centre says do/n /ith the Home SecretaiJ%B +e cancertainly articiate in the debate on the -syl'm 7ill b't /e canKt 3'm on e$erycamaign for e$ery detainee ;Centre emloyee0

-ccordingly% the Centre /as not a ma3or layer in the oosition to the "o$ernmentKs ne/legislation0

1here is a c'lt're Oat the 9ef'gee Legal Centre that does not fa$o'r resistance0 Ifyo'Kre reresenting ref'gees yo' ha$e to *no/ /here yo'r bottom line is% b't Othecentre /as no/here in the c'rrent camaign abo't the -syl'm 7ill% o' /ill not seethe director on tele$ision against the Conser$ati$es abo't /hat is haening ;directorof another agency0

Instead% the Centre acted largely as an agent of the go$ernment in the latterKs attemt toinfl'ence the domain0 +hile this relationshi 'ndo'btedly had certain ad$antages forexamle% in ens'ring the smooth imlementation of the ne/ determination roced'resit is'nli*ely that this form of BcollaborationB /o'ld rod'ce m'ch synergy0 Significantinno$ation 's'ally re4'ires f'ndamental changes in con$entional /ays of thin*ing6 and% inthis case% the 9ef'gee Legal Centre /as far more li*ely to relicate the go$ernment $ie/ than

ro$ide radical ne/ alternati$es0

In s'mmary% the t/o cooerati$e relationshis described here are 4'ite different0 1heinitiati$es of the Comm'nity De$eloment 1eam aear to be collaborative% if /e reser$ethis term for a secific form of cooeration0


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1ollaboration operates on a model of shared o/er0 In collaboration% problem3solving decisions are eventually taken by a group of stakeholders who have

mutually authorized each other to reach a decision.1h's% o/er to define theroblem and to roose a sol'tion is effecti$ely shared among the decision ma*ers;"ray (


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1he fact that all the money goes directly to the Oestablished agencies ma*es it $ery diffic'ltfor the Oref'gee comm'nity organizations to cooerate /ith them 00 0 the 7ritish 9ef'geeCo'ncil has the ref'gee associations by the short and c'rlies beca'se it disenses the f'nds0

1hey are frightened to bite the hand that feeds them and if they do attac* the Co'ncil% they/ill lose /hat little benefits they already ha$e /hich is an extension of colonialism ;9ef'gee&or'm member0

1hese attit'des reflected a olicy of Bno cooeration0B

IK$e ne$er act'ally met the &or'm b't IK$e been on the recei$ing end of their letters thatcondemn e$erybody in sight0 ItKs a bit /earing really0 +eK$e made o'r o$ert'res% /eK$es'ggested meetings% /eK$e s'ggested /ays of co2existing /hen they /ere more of a force01hey ha$e a $ery straightfor/ard $ie/: if yo' ta*e the go$ernmentKs money% then yo'Kre thego$ernmentKs creat're and thatKs it ;7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil official0

1he 9ef'gee &or'm considered that the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncilKs reformist aroach

reinforced the go$ernmentKs control o$er the domain and the stat's 4'o% at the exense ofref'gees0

1he 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil has been a disaster6 /hen there is any arliamentarydebate% the go$ernment can al/ays say the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil is dealing /ith the

roblem ;9ef'gee &or'm member0

1o cooerate /ith the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil% and other agencies li*e it% /o'ld 'nderminethe $ery basis of the 9ef'gee &or'mKs ob3ect of emo/ering ref'gees0 Instead% it /anted tointrod'ce ne/ contendersthe ref'gees and% of co'rse% itselfinto the domain on an e4'alfooting0

1he resonse of the established agencies /as one of marginalization01he established gro's try to marginalize the 9ef'gee &or'm0 I donKt really *no/ /hy0I donKt see them as a threat0 !aybe they see the &or'mKs fairly straightfor/ard /ay ofexressing things as dangero's to the rocess of negotiations0 I donKt see /hy b't theydo see it as a roblem and there /ere sotne fairly hairy ro/s ;olitician0

In this /ay% these gro's hoed to BreelB the 9ef'gee &or'mKs BextremeB demands ;+arrenet al ( /hich% if acted on% /o'ld res'lt in the transformation of the domain to thedetriment of both go$ernment and N"Gs0 Desite these actions% the &or'm did ha$e animact on the domain0 It /as highly s'ccessf'l in romoting ref'gee emo/erment thro'ghits -frican 9ef'gees Ho'sing -ction "ro' /hich% in (


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In other /ords% the 9ef'gee &or'm% desite minimal reso'rces and d'bio's legitimacy in theeyes of established agencies% 'shed its /ay into the domain and heled to shae theconstit'tion of that domain0

1he 9ef'gee &or'm is 'sef'l0 It stems from the grass roots /hich res'lts in anenormo's commitment /hich is sometimes more effecti$e than the 7ritish 9ef'geeCo'ncil0 ItKs more radical so it canKt attract a lot of f'nding% /hile the Co'ncil hasf'nding b't is b'rea'cratic0 7oth ha$e their limits0 ItKs imortant to ha$e the for'm

beca'se it challenges the other system0 It ro$ides a chec* and *ees them honest0-lso% it sometimes identifies the real iss'es beca'se it doesnKt ma*e the sameass'mtions that the Co'ncil does ;ref'gee comm'nity organization reresentati$e0

In s'mmary% the 4efugee !orum introduced conflict into the domain as it engaged in astrategy of contention and the more established organizations tried to marginalize it.

1he confiict signaled the for'mKs imact on the domain% an imact comletely o't ofroortion to its a'thority and reso'rces0

1ontestation1he 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil and the "o$ernment0 In many resects the7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil and 9ef'gee Legal Centre are similarboth are publicly3fundedcharities and sub/ect to similar legal and financial constraints. 1he 7ritish 9ef'geeCo'ncil /as% ho/e$er% more acti$e in its oosition to go$ernment olicies% artic'larly thene/ legislation0 +hat disting'ishes its relationshi from that of the 9ef'gee Legal Centre isnot so m'ch indeendence from the go$ernment% ho/e$er% but a countervailing dependencyon the refugee community organizations that comprised one3third of its membership.-tthe 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil% ref'gees /ere artners /ithin a broader ohtical for'm% and notsimly clients d'ring a legal rocess as at the 9ef'gee Legal Centre ;Philhs and Hardy(


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1hese asirations embedded it in a more comlex /eb of o/er relationshis and necessitateda more acti$e aroach to/ards managing its legitimacy0

1here is a different constit'ency here0 +e are resonsible for asyl'm2see*ing ref'gees

and /e are acco'ntable to o'r membershi0 0 0 G'r credibility is based on the s'ortand bac*ing of o'r membershi0 If /e do not $oice their concerns /e /ill be dead%and so the Home Gffice has to let 's ha$e o'r say ;co'ncil emloyee0

+hile the Co'ncil aeared to engage in an ad$ersarial relationshi /ith the go$ernment% it/o'ld be inacc'rate to describe it in the same terms as the actions of the 9ef'gee &o9im0 1helatter reresented Bnot merely a hardfo'ght contest to see /ho /ins a artic'lar chess game6Ob't a threat to the game itself0 It is one thing to fight hard to /in a game6 it is another thingto o$ert'rn the chess boardB ;+arren et al (% 0 .(0 +e refer to the Co'ncilKs actions as anattemt to /in the game% as o2 osed to o$ert'rning the chessboard0 So% /hile the 7ritish9ef'gee Co'ncil lobbied acti$ely% it /as selecti$e in the ca'ses it s'orted0 It concentrated

on secific B/innableB iss'es ;e0g0% the roosal to end legal aid and to change the aealsystem% thereby reaffirming the go$ernmentKs o$erall legislati$e frame/or*0 Nor co'ld itafford to re3ect the go$ernmentKs agenda o't of hand if it /anted to contin'e to articiate in

olicy disc'ssions0

Gnce a year /e ha$e an ha$e an off2the2record disc'ssion /ith ci$il ser$ants0 It ta*es lace ina barristerKs chambers /ith a glass of /ine0 Some eole might see that as comromising /iththe enemy0 7't 4'ite fran*ly% /e ha$e so many iss'es of concern /hich /e try to infl'encethe go$ernment on% /e /o'ld be m'ch less infl'ential and ers'asi$e if /e simly treatedthem as the enemy ;co'ncil official0

Certainly% the go$ernment had less control o$er the Co'ncil than the 9ef'gee Legal Centre%

and the Co'ncil did mo'nt a $igoro's camaign against certain go$ernment meas'res0 7't% bycooerating /ith the go$ernment% the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil /as effecti$ely cooted: thego$ernment /as /illing to share the symbols of o/er by allo/ing the Co'ncil to articiatein decision and olicy ma*ing b't% for ractical 'roses% the asymmetrical o/errelationshi /as maintained ;see Selznic* (


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and% in so doing, challenge dominant stakeholders.-s ne/ contenders% s'ch organizationsmay not ossess either formal a'thority or critical reso'rcesif they did% they /o'ld

robably already be acti$e in the domain0*hey may, therefore, use discursive legitimacy tosecure a voice;e0g0% Elsbach and S'tton (


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contestationand describe fo'r co'nter$ailing strategies% layermay lead less o/erf'lorganizations to comly ta*en either to defend the domain from change or to infl'ence thedirection that change takes0reciprocal collaboration, regulation, marginalization, and

cooptation0 ;See 1able (0 Collaboration and contention aear to reresent the greatestotential for synergy and inno$ation6 contestation rod'ces limited change6 /hile comliancemeans that one organization simly acts as the instmment of the other0

7y as*ing /ho has formal a'thority% /ho controls *ey reso'rces% and /ho is able to tnanagelegitimacy disc'rsi$ely% /e can also identify $ario's o/er dynamics0 In the #5 ref'geedomain% collaboration/as associated /ith a disersal of a'thority% reso'rces% and legitimacyamong organizations% /hich suggests that collaboration may be easier when the variousaspects of power are widely distributed. In the case of a significant power imbalance,comliance aears more li*ely% as in the case of the 9ef'gee Legal Centre0 It /as highlydeendent on the go$emment regarding all asects of o/er: the go$emment had a'thorityand reso'rces% and the Centre deended on it to manage its legitimacy $is2a2$is otheragencies0 If o/er is not disersed% collaboration may still be if o/erholders exercise$ol'ntary restraint% b't socialization *no/ing that yo' aiKe 'ltimately the /ea*er /ith theactions they thin* their more o/erf'l co'nterarts /ish to see% e$en /hen they do notexercise their o/er0 Contention is a $iable strategy% e$en /hen actors do not ossess formala'thority or critical reso'rces if they ha$e some disc'rsi$e legitimacy% as in the case of the9ef'gee &or'm0 Grganizations cannot afford to ignore this asect of o/er% e$en /hen theyha$e a'thority and reso'rces% as the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil sho/s in its attemts to rotectits right to sea* on behalf of ref'gees0

-s far as research on interorganizational interactions is concerned% /e first s'ggest thatpower and politics are inseparable from the most fundamental processes of domain

definition.1he ability to articiate in domain de$eloment and to define the roblems thatcharacterize it% deends either on having the power to make oneself heard or on thegoodwill of powerful domain members to allow low3power participants to participate.

+e% ho/e$er% sa/ no e$idence of the latter in o'r field/or*% and s'ggest that research sho'ldconsider more directly the role of power in the development of interorganizationaldomains,as /ell as the imact of the different asects of o/er% /hich may comlement andoffset another0

3, edification

Second% researchers m'st ta*e care not to adot the

1able ( Strategies of Engagement in the #5 9ef'gee System Comm'nity De$eloment9ef'gee Legal 9ef'gee &or'm-genoies 7ritishQ 9ef'gee 1eam9ef'gee GrganizationsCentre"o$ernment and "o$ernment Co'ncil"o$ernment

S'rface dynamics Cooeration Cooeration Conflict Conflict Strategy of Collaboration by theComiiance by the 9ef'gee Contention by the 9ef'gee Contestation by the 7ritishengagement Comm'nity De$eloment Legai Centre &or'm 9ef'gee Co'ncil 1eamCo'nter$ailing strategy 9ef'gee organizations 9eg'lation by go$emment to !arginaiization

by other Cootation by the go$ernment engage in recirocal re$ent threats from theorganizations to reel to bl'nt threats from the collaboration 9ef'gee Legal Centre threats

osed by the 7ritish 9ef'gee Co'ncil 9ef'gee &or'm Po/er distrib'tion No concentration ofa'thority% 1he 9ef'gee Legal Centre is &ormal a'thority regarding "o$ernment ossesses

reso'rces% or legitimacy: all highly deendent on the /ho has the right to sea* formala'thority and asects of o/er are go$ernment regarding all for ref'gees is 'nclear6 reso'rces


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$is2a2$is Co'ncil6 /idely distrib'ted among asects of o/er: the other agencies ossessCo'ncil has some formal organizations go$ernment has a'thority reso'rces% b't the 9ef'geea'thority and reso'rces $isand reso'rces6 also the &or'm is not deendent on a2$is ref'geeorganizations% 9ef'gee Legal Centre them6 the for'm has some b't has to manage its

deends on the go$ernment disc'rsi$e legitimacy to legitimacy /ith these to manage itslegitimacy sea* for ref'gees gro's to be allo/ed to $is2a2$is other agencies and beca'se itis r'n by sea* for them ref'gees ref'gees

Change to domain Probable% conse4'ential #nli*ely% s'erficial Possible% significantPossible% limited

G9"-NI-1IGN SCIENCEAGI0


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ersecti$e of the most o/erf'l sta*eholders in 3'dging the Bs'ccessB of the collaboration0"i$en the imortance of o/er in defining the roblem and identifying sta*eholders% it is all

too easy to accet the stated goals of the collaboration% /hich means s'ccess is meas'redfrom the osition of the o/erf'l /hile e4'ally legitimate o'tcomes% /hich fa$o'r lo/2o/ersta*eholders% are excl'ded0 !oreo$er% /hile collaboration can be highly rod'cti$e in sol$inginterorganizational roblems% conflict also has a clear role in challenging existing frame/or*sand forcing domain change in directions considered by at least some members to be ositi$e07oth asects deser$e e4'al attention% since fail're to recognize the imortance of conflictleads to a reference for the stat's 4'o and an imlicit adotion of the $ie/oint of o/erf'lsta*eholders0 !oreo$er% since early choices in the de$eloment of the domain can ha$e alasting effect as rocesses of instit'tionalization s'ort their contin'ance% the /or* ondomain de$eloment and strategies of engagement may benefit from a connection /ith theinstit'tional theory literat're ;e0g0% Philis et al% (


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the form of go$ernment statistics% ann'al reorts% and min'tes from ann'al meetings% Hansardreorts of arliamentary seeches and ne/saer articles0 Indi$id'al inter$ie/ees also

ro$ided internal reorts% memos% etc0 1he sit'ation described in this aer refers to ref'geedetermination and settlement in the early (@=2.)%and T% Hage ;(


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;(


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Hardy% C0% N0 Phillis and 10 La/rence ;(


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and "0 90 Salanci* ;(


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Documents

Notes - Hardy (1998) Strategies of Engagement