Theories of Interorganizational Relations in the Human Services

Growing concern about fragmentation and alienation in human services has refocused attention on service integration and coordination. This trend is matched by a shift of focus within organizational theory from intra‐ to interorganizational relations.However, there is no one theory of interorganizational relations, and integration efforts may therefore be studied from a multitude of theoretical perspectives. I introduce a selection of the available theoretical perspectives to the study of interorganizational relations in human services: the theory of professions, leadership and organizational learning, economic organization theory, the sociology of knowledge, and postmodernism. In addition to providing a menu of alternative approaches relevant to both practitioners and scholars, I discuss the relative advantages and drawbacks of each perspective.