A REFLEXIVE MODEL FOR COLLABORATION - EMPOWERING PARTNERSHIPS THROUGHFOCUS GROUPS

The Latin roots of collaboration, coin and laborare, mean ''to work to gether.'' In collaboration, two or more parties work toward common goa ls by sharing responsibility, authority, and accountability for achiev ing results (Chrislip & Larson, 1994). There is a growing need to prom ote collaborative problem-solving among public and private organizatio ns. Collaboration can occur under any circumstances, but it is more li kely to be problem motivated and occur during difficult times. It invo lves combining tangible resources and has the goal of solving problems that no one organization can solve independently (Gray, 1985). Althou gh examples of collaboration are now commonplace in the literature, th e specific use of models of collaboration has received little attentio n from researchers (O'Looney, 1994). This article examines Gray's (198 5) ''Collaborative Process Model'' and through focus group methodology , expands and applies current collaborative theoretical conceptualizat ion. O'Looney's critique and recommendations for collaborative process models are incorporated in the development of a ''Reflexive Model for Collaboration.'' This reconceptualization moves the collaborative pro cess from a task-oriented problem focus to one that is solution-orient ed and visionary.