Journal Article

Temporary, Emergent Interorganizational Collaboration in Unexpected Circumstances: A Study of the Columbia Space Shuttle Response Effort

Plowman, Donde Ashmos, Beck, Tammy E.

2014

Overview

In an inductive case study of the Columbia space shuttle disaster response effort, we use observations, archival records, and in-depth interviews with representatives from several responding agencies to explore factors that facilitated this interorganizational collaboration. The Columbia response effort defies conventional theories of collaboration. Relative strangers from dissimilar agencies, without a designated leader or existing structure, quickly collaborated across organizational boundaries on an unprecedented and complex undertaking. We explain how four organizing actions enabled self-organizing and the two-staged development of trust and identity, ultimately leading to a successful unplanned collaboration. We rely on tenets of complexity theory to orient our case study and to propose a grounded theory of temporary, emergent interorganizational collaboration.

• Publisher: INFORMS,Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
• Subject: Analysis / Case studies / Chaos theory / Collaboration / complex adaptive systems / Complexity theory / Data analysis / Disaster recovery / Disaster relief / Disasters / Emergency preparedness / Environmental agencies / Forest service / Grounded theory / Group identity / Identity / Information search / Interagency collaboration / Interorganizational relations / interorganizational relationships / Knowledge management / Leadership / Organizational identity / Organizational structure / Outer space / Qualitative research / Self concept / Social identity / Social interaction / South Carolina / Space shuttle / Space shuttles / Space travel / Space vehicles / Strangers / Studies / Success / Theory / Trust / U.S.A