Assessing the collaborative capacity of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Relevant literature, a practical assessment tool, and reflections on third‐party roles

Abstract

This article focuses on the third-party roles in a 2008 to 2010 assessment of the collaborative capacity of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Within USACE, the effort was led by the Institute for Water Resources' Conflict Resolution & Public ParticipationCenter. Thirdparty assistance was provided by a professional environmental facilitator under contract to USACE. Data were obtained through an online assessment tool (n ϭ 230) and nine workshops. A national stakeholder Review Group and a cadre of internal liaisons to field personnel provided input at strategic milestones. The resulting collaborative capacity development recommendations are now being implemented. B etween 2008 and 2010, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps or USACE) engaged in an unusual self-examination. It took a look at its own capacity to collaborate effectively with external stakeholders in carrying out its mission (providing quality, responsive engineering services to the federal government), with an eye toward building up this valuable capability. The Corps recognized that, in this era of increasingly tight

From Personality‐Driven to Institutionally Driven Collaboration by the US Forest Service

“…DuPraw et al () share an assessment instrument designed to spotlight strengths and weaknesses in the collaborative capacity of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a basis on which to formulate recommendations for enhancement. To develop the instrument, they reviewed the literature on dispute systems design, the policy arena, and the meaning of collaborative capacity in the water resource management milieu (US Army Corps of Engineers ).…”

“…The assessment approach used by the USFS built directly on the approach of DuPraw et al () with USACE. However, the USFS team modified the approach to reflect the agency's more organic (relatively speaking) culture and the importance of relationships, partner networks, and collaborative technology to the USFS.…”

“…Th ese authors off er a collaborative capacity assessment and development framework for community coalitions, structured around four interdependent levels of collaborative capacity: individual members, relationships, organizational structure, and programs. DuPraw et al (2012) share an assessment instrument designed to spotlight strengths and weaknesses in the collaborative capacity of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a basis on which to formulate recommendations for enhancement. To develop the instrument, they reviewed the literature on dispute systems design, the policy arena, and the meaning of collaborative capacity in the water resource management milieu (US Army Corps of Engineers 2011).…”