The Negotiation of Purpose in Multi‐Organizational Collaborative Groups

The negotiation and agreement of goals for collaborations between public and non‐profit organizations is argued to be a complex and painful process. Thus, the research described in this paper used action research to explore some of the critical behaviours in such groups. Based on the two units of analysis of ‘goal ownership’ and ‘episodes in negotiation’, a categorization of types of multi‐organizational group negotiation behaviour is developed. The categories are intended to be of practical use to those seeking to ensure the success of a collaboration.