Collaborative Management and Multi Party Stakeholder Negotiation Rosemary O’Leary, Distinguished Professor The Maxwell School of Syracuse University April 27, 2007

Collaborative Public Management... is a concept that describes the process of facilitating and operating in multi-organizational and multi- stakeholder arrangements to solve problems that cannot be solved or easily solved by single organizations or single individuals.

Collaborative Public Management Collaborative means to co-labor, to cooperate to achieve common goals working across boundaries in multi- sector relationships. Cooperation is based on the value of reciprocity.

Characteristics that add to the complexity of collaborative public management Multiple forums for decision making Interorganizational and interpersonal Multiple parties Multiple issues

Characteristics that add to the complexity of collaborative public management Technical complexity and scientific uncertainty Unequal power and resources Public/Political, not private

The Paradox of Collaborative Public Management Collaboration may yield conflict. That conflict must be managed.

The Spiral of Unmanaged Conflict Sense of Crisis Emerges ↑ Perceptions Become Distorted ↑ Conflict Goes Outside the Community ↑ Resources are Committed ↑ Communication Stops ↑ Positions Harden ↑ Sides Form ↑ Problem Emerges

Lessons of the Conflict Spiral The conflict spiral is not inevitable... But the conflict spiral is predictable when conflict is not managed at an early stage The earlier conflict is managed the better.

Three primary forms of power over public disputes Threat power Economic power Integrative or collaborative power – The most influential and significant form of power (Boulding, 1991)

Collaborative Problem Solving: Guiding Principles 1 – Reframe (redefine) conflicts as mutual problems to be solved together 2 – Understand the problem: prepare, educate and learn 3 – Develop a conflict management plan addressing procedures, relationships and substance 4 – Involve the parties in designing the process and developing a solution

Collaborative Problem Solving: Guiding Principles 5 – Balanced representation 6 – Insist that stakeholders participate directly, fully, and in good faith 7 -Maintain transparency to keep the purpose and objectives of the process clear to all 8 – Timeliness 9 – Implementation of agreements

Major Collaborative Problem Solving Approaches Informal Discussions Working Groups Task Forces Policy Dialogues Monitoring Committees Conflict Assessment Joint Fact Finding

Examples State of Utah – Working Groups used to develop land management strategies for each local area State of Ohio – A Task Force of environmental advocates, industry groups, and concerned citizens developed livestock farming regulations to protect water supplies

Examples Chesapeake Bay: A Monitoring Committee made up of scientists and concerned citizens monitors the health of the fish and blue crab Pacific County, Washington - Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe sponsored a Conflict Assessment to analyze environmental challenges facing county

Examples U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Uses Early Neutral Evaluation to advise parties involved in hazardous waste disputes of the strengths and weaknesses of their cases A Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Initiative Advisory Group formulated new water quality standards

“Pros” of Collaborative Problem Solving Approaches * Fuller participation by interested parties (than litigation, legislation, or administrative action) * Broader, more diverse representation * Less risk than “win-all” or “lose-all” litigation * Fuller discussion of all relevant issues * Building of social capital (to better address future conflicts) * Agreements that are stable and long lasting

“Cons” of Collaborative Problem Solving Approaches * May be slow * May be expensive

In summary... “Our lives are not dependent on whether or not we have conflict. It is what we do with conflict that makes a difference.” -Anonymous