Abstract
Purpose. This study examines and describes community collaborations and strives to identify the effects of organizational age on the organizational development and adaptation across three variables: funding patterns, partner diversity and participation level, and programs and program diversity. Each of these variables has been examined at two points in time. Theoretical framework. The study utilizes the Theory of Collaboration to construct a rationale for collaboration that pulls from several organizational sustainability and adaptation theories in order to create the hypotheses, which were tested. Methodology. This project examined 21 community collaboratives in Kern County, California that were formed to address the needs of children and families within those communities. These collaboratives were examined using archival documentation and records and in-depth, qualitative interviews. Records and documents from each collaborative were assessed using data collected from the year of collaborative origination or from the earliest records available, and again using records and documents from the year 2002. Collaboratives were measured across three variables: (1) funding patterns, (2) partnerships and (3) mission as identified by programs. The organizations varied in age, consisting of older collaboratives that were formed from 1992–1995 (6–10 years of service) and younger organizations that were formed from 1996–2000 (0–5 years of service). Findings. Overall, it was discovered that organizational age is not a significant variable when looking at the evolution or adaptation of a community collaboration when examining funding patterns, partnership diversity and participation, or organizational mission as defined by programs and program diversity. More often, these collaborations cited environmental and political factors, as well as relationships within a larger network, as the basis for survival. Conclusions and recommendations. This study produced rich qualitative data and findings beyond the tested hypotheses, established by theoretical consideration. These outcomes open the door of possibility for researchers to further examine collaboratives from a qualitative approach in order to explore the organizational effectiveness of collaborative models.