When resource dependency discourse dominates interorganizational collaboration
A case study of a statewide effort to end homelessness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21422496 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dajung Woo (0000-0001-6731-9436, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, corresponding author), Tsu-Yi Chien (Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 375-396 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Applied Communication Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0090-9882 • E-ISSN: 1479-5752 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00909882.2025.2536468 |
| OpenAlex | W4412933435 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
Tackling big social problems often requires multiple organizations to work together, sometimes with government funding. This study examines a statewide effort to end homelessness and explores what happens when one organization controls the funding for the group. While Resource Dependency Theory emphasizes external resources as motivators for collaboration, we found that heavy reliance on a single fiscal agent shaped communication in ways that undermined partnership. Based on interviews with 23 participants, we developed a vicious cycle model showing how the lead agency's financial control hindered the collaborating group's ability to communicate openly and build a shared sense of identity, purpose, and mutual responsibility. We discuss the implications of centralized resource control (which fosters vertical resource dependency) versus shared control (horizontal interdependence), offering new vocabulary for understanding why and how funding-mandated collaborations are often less successful than grassroots collaborations. We also provide practical ways leaders can communicate more effectively to support stronger, more balanced partnerships in resource-limited settings
Business · Dependency (UML) · Discourse analysis · Economics · Linguistics · Management · Political science · Public relations · Resource (disambiguation) · Resource dependence theory · Sociology · Computer Science · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Psychology · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research · Social Capital and Networks
Discourse and Collaboration
Grounded Theory and Theoretical Coding
Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Collaboration
Synthesizing and Extending Resource Dependence Theory
Determinants of Interorganizational Relationships
Breaking into Collaboration
Cross-sector collaboration formality
Facilitating collaboration in publicly mandated governance networks
Risk communication infrastructure and community resilience
Collaborative Interaction
Ideal Collaboration
Theorizing Principled Collaboration
Governments, Group Membership, and Watershed Partnerships
Communicating in a Collaborating Group
Network dynamics of interorganizational cooperation
Reconceptualizing interorganizational collaborations as tensile structures
Collaborative Tensions
Understanding the Emergence and Persistence of Mandated Collaboration
Governance, Power, and Mandated Collaboration in an Interorganizational Network
Collaborating for Our Future
| Highly cited | No |
|---|