Collaboration, competition, and co-opetition: Interorganizational dynamics between private child welfare agencies and child serving sectors

Abstract

Human service agencies are encouraged to collaborate with other public and private agencies in providing services to children and families. However, they also often compete with these same partners for funding, qualified staff, and clientele. Although little is known about complex interagency dynamics of competition and collaboration in the child-serving sector, evidence suggests that competition can undermine collaboration unless managed strategically. This study explores the interrelationship between competition and collaboration, sometimes referred to as “co-opetition.” Using a national dataset of private child and family serving agencies, we examine their relationships with other child serving sectors (N=4460 pair-wise relationships), and explore how variations in patterns of collaboration and competition are associated with several organizational, environmental and relational factors. Results suggest that most relationships between private child welfare agencies and other child serving agencies are characterized by both competition and collaboration (i.e. “co-opetition”), and is most frequently reported with other local private child welfare agencies. Logistic regression analyses indicate that co-opetition is likely to occur when private child welfare agencies have a good perceived relationship or a sub-contract with their partner. Findings have implications for how agency leaders manage partner relationships, and how public child welfare administrators structure contracts.

The role of collaborations in sustaining an evidence-based intervention to reduce child neglect

“…However, there is a lack of empirical research specifically examining the role of collaboration in the implementation and sustainment of EBIs within child welfare service systems (Proctor et al, 2009). Although collaboration can refer to a variety of relationships, it is also defined here as the process through which stakeholders who see different aspects of a problem work together towards a common goal in order to bring about change beyond what they are able to accomplish as individual entities (Bunger et al, 2014a; Gray, 1989; Lasker, Weiss, & Miller, 2001). Collaboration may be preplanned, highly structured, and formalized (Butterfoss, 2007) or may develop more organically based on the needs and characteristics of the services system.…”

Mega-clusters as a tool of interregional cooperation in tourists field

“…Domestic tourism consumption in France has provided goods and services worth to 106.4 billion Euros, the internationalto 51.9 billion Euros 7 . In the post-crisis (if compare with 2008-2009) 2010-2014 the number of foreign tourists is increasing every year, rising from 76.6 to 83.8 million people, the same happened with the average length of stay 8 . By early 2015 tourism provides about 1 million jobs for the French 9 , even more in Canada -1.77 million jobs 10 .…”

What is the Best Outsourcing Strategy? Nonlinear Association between the Outsourcing Degree of Institutional Care and the Costs of Substitute Care in Child Welfare within Finnish Municipalities

“…From this perspective, competition between the private, public and third sectors is needed for creating dynamic markets which aim to offer high quality services (Le Grand, 2006;Le Grand, 2009;Le Grand 2014). Also, the providers compete within their own sectors which also supports the quality of services (Bunger et al, 2014;Wells et al, 2014). Similarly, competition is seen as a way to produce services with reasonable prices.…”

“…A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 3 According to previous empirical studies, the results of outsourcing in child welfare have been similarly controversial as those in entire social services (Bunger et al, 2014;Wells et al, 2014).…”

“…This can inhibit the smaller agency from building whatever administrative capacity would be needed for the expansion of services. Bunger et al (2014) describe the relationships between private child welfare agencies and other child serving agencies by both competition and collaboration (i.e., "co-opetition"). They found that "co-opetition" is likely to occur when private child welfare agencies have a good perceived relationship or a sub-contract with their partner.…”